There’s more to be taken from Connor McDavid’s post-win interview against the Dallas Stars than the celebratory articles published in the hours following.
Yes, the Edmonton Oilers are going to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, and sure, the opportunity to finish what they started last June remains apparent.
But while the re-match remains the same, the mentality does not.
Say cooler heads will prevail, or managing expectations will be key, or don’t, because McDavid already told us.
“(Last year) was a great learning experience, and it’s really driven us all year. But I think this run has felt different for us,” explained the Captain. “It’s felt very normal, I don’t wanna say boring, cause it’s not boring at all, but it hasn’t been as emotional.
“We haven’t had the highs and we haven’t had the lows, and I think that’s put us in a good position.”
Now here’s where “highs and lows” get complicated.
Does it mean the literal highs and lows that come from stress-filled playoff games in which the outcome could send the Oilers home or possibly, to another round? Or does it mean the mental load that comes from making it to the Stanley Cup Final (again) and the emotions of being so close to the Stanley Cup (again)?
The answers have varied.
“What I think about last year and the lows and the really stressful points of our season, (were the) two elimination games against Vancouver, and an elimination game against Dallas at home,” according to Kris Knoblauch. “This year, our tense moment would have been playing 0-2 against LA in the first round, and it was stressful, but not where your season’s going to be done.
“And the highs this year are that we didn’t win a game seven or anything like that. But I like our level playing, and we’re going to need that for another series.”
That’s one point for the slow and steady playoff run column. No elimination games, no game sevens, and no sweeps.
Though please reserve all judgment until other angles have been considered.
“This year feels a little more normal,” argued McDavid. “It’s been fun to be a part of, (but it) hasn’t been as emotional. It’s been very direct.
“Those games can be emotionally draining, we’re not drained. We’ve got a lot of depth, we’ve got as good a chance as they do.”
Truth be told, the answer to this rather simple hypothetical question lies in the fact that, for about a year, the plan was always to get back to the final.
Not make the playoffs. Not win the division. Not win the conference. All those milestones were necessary steps en route to what Knoblauch would call the “ultimate prize.”
“What’s on our mind hasn’t been wanting to be the best team out of the West,” continued Knoblauch. “All summer, we weren’t thinking about that; we were thinking about the ultimate prize.
“The fact that it is normal is the fact that we were there last year.”
And what did they learn?
Was there some secret to beating the Florida Panthers in the same manner they won rounds one, two, and three? Is there a lesson to be taken from last year’s final?
Or is everything a little more familiar, as McDavid mentioned, combined with a simpler playoff run as described by Knoblauch?
“Last year was new to us. We didn’t know what the Stanley Cup Finals were going to be like,” described Knoblauch before round four. “Game Six against Dallas (last year), we didn’t play our best game. We did win it, but it wasn’t our strongest game. Game five (this year), we had the lead throughout, felt good about that, but I think probably the biggest change in the mood is just we’ve been here before.
‘We’ve done the press conferences. We’ve answered the question about what it’s like to be in the Stanley Cup Final, we know what to expect. We’ve seen (Florida) before. There’s a lot of familiar things about this. I don’t want to say it’s a regular thing, but we’re accustomed to it.”
It’s that accustomization that will aid the Oilers as they plan to not give Florida another 0-3 series lead, or any lead inside Rogers Place at.
If it can be the difference maker in a Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, then perhaps it could make a difference against the reigning Cup champs.
Less emotions equal better decisions. Better decisions mean better results. And better results can prove that a more mature team can do what the wide-eyed, fresh-faced Oilers could not last season—win it all.
“Our best hockey is still in front of us,” argued McDavid. “Which is a great thing.”
