The Oilers are not limping into this Stanley Cup Final against the Panthers
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid is fine, and coach Kris Knoblauch expects the best hockey player in the world to be good to go for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
That is the most important thing for Edmonton gearing up for another championship series against the Florida Panthers. Also, acknowledging the notable absence of injured forward Zach Hyman, the Oilers are much closer to full strength in the rematch than they were a year ago and are not limping into the final this time around.
'We're very confident in the group that we have and the players that are available,' defenseman Darnell Nurse said Monday after a day off the ice for players. 'There's been guys that have stepped up in huge moments so far over the course of the playoffs, and I'm sure over the course of the series we'll need more of that.'
A smoother journey through the playoffs helps. Edmonton won each of its past two series in five games apiece, and that has allowed for some much-needed rest along the way.
'Are we 100% healthy? No, not quite, obviously with Hyman being out, which will be a huge loss,' Knoblauch said Monday. 'But overall I would say we're in a little bit better position physically.'
Reinforcements have also arrived just in time.
Winger Evander Kane returned for Game 2 of the first round against Los Angeles after missing the entire regular season recovering from multiple surgeries to repair injuries that knocked him out of the Cup final a year ago when he needed injections just to be able to walk. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm got back in the lineup for the clinching game of the Western Conference final against Dallas after thinking several weeks earlier he wouldn't be able to play again until October.
'When doctors tell you something, they're usually right,' Ekholm said. 'Most people didn't think I was going to be in this position, so to be able to be part of this group, to be part of things on the ice and help this team win has been the goal the whole time and now that it's reality is awesome for me.'
The Oilers did not win last year when they faced the Panthers, losing three in a row to start the series and clawing back to force a Game 7 only to experiencing a gut-wrenching defeat. They didn't have Kane healthy then to offset Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Florida's hard-nosed pressure.
Now they do, with Kane and Corey Perry being counted on to make up for Hyman being out.
'We can play a physical brand of hockey,' Kane said. 'We can play an in-your-face brand of hockey. Whatever game you want, we can give you. We're going to play our game, and we're looking forward to that challenge.'
The Panthers are also nearly 100% after some injury scares in the East final against Carolina to clutch scorer Sam Reinhart and vastly improved defenseman Niko Mikkola. Only depth forward A.J. Greer's status is any kind of a question going in.
McDavid provided some intrigue over the weekend by leaving practice after five minutes and a chat with trainers. Knoblauch brushed that off, saying the three-time league MVP and reigning playoff MVP was fine and said McDavid would practice Tuesday in the final preparation for the series.
Connor Brown is also expected to be back for Game 1 Wednesday night in Edmonton after missing the conclusion of the West final.
'He adds a lot of elements to our team,' Knoblauch said. 'Obviously on the penalty kill we need him a lot, his speed, his checking. He's scored and provided some nice offense throughout the season.'
Having gotten at least a goal from 19 different players during this run, the Oilers also seem mentally sharper than last year, when they were new to this stage of the playoffs going up against an opponent that had been there before. McDavid and Leon Draisaitl should keep driving the bus, but they don't need to do it all.
'This time around we have a lot more depth throughout the entirety of our lineup,' Kane said. 'If we need scoring, we have scoring. If we need some guys that can be a little bit more physical, we can be more physical. Unfortunately, we're going to have to use that depth and we're going to have to get the job done with it.'
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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