DENVER – Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon weren’t taking the bait.
Two of the best NHL players face off in the Western Conference Finals, but when asked, neither McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers nor MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche looked at it that way.
“There’s a good team there,” McDavid said Monday when asked about the speed match against MacKinnon. “They have shown that for the last two years, obviously, this year is no different. They have very special players, they are very deep, a very good team.”
As much as they minimize it, these two are the ones to watch when the Avalanche and the Oilers play their first game at the Ball Arena on Tuesday (8pm ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS).
“Two of the best players in the league are taking part, two of the fastest players,” Avalanche defender Erik Johnson said on Sunday. “Only two of the most highly qualified guys you could choose from in the league.
“I think it’s great for hockey, I think it’s great for the fans, I think it’s great for both teams. Both teams haven’t been to the conference final in a long time, so it’s exciting. I think “We’re excited to be a part of that, too. When you can have the best with the best, that’s the best you can expect as a player. That’s what you want.”
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It is an understandably expected match. McDavid, the captain of the Oilers, has been fascinating this postseason with 26 points (seven goals, 19 assists) in 12 games. He and Edmonton striker Leon Draisaitl are the sixth and seventh players to have 26 or more points in the first 12 games of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The only two to score more in this period were Wayne Gretzky (34 points in 1983 and 32 in 1985 for the Oilers) and Mario Lemieux (29 in 1992 for the Pittsburgh Penguins).
“I think it’s the best, I said,” MacKinnon said of McDavid. “I think he’s been the best for a while and it will take a full team effort to stop him, just like with Draisaitl. But they’re deeper than the teams give them credit for. They’re very deep, they would.” I will not be where they are without all the effort of the team “.
MacKinnon has 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 10 games, including his second playoff hat-trick in the fifth game of the second round against the St. Louis Cardinals. Louis Blues. MacKinnon (four goals, two assists) and McDavid (one goal, five assists) have six power points.
“There’s a lot to like,” McDavid said of MacKinnon. “Obviously he skates really well, he’s strong, he plays at full speed all the time and he makes it hard to defend.”
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Avalanche defender Cale Makar faces MacKinnon in practice on a regular basis, but said everyone is taking on their own challenges.
“Obviously there are a lot of similarities between MacKinnon and McDavid, but at the same time they are very different styles of play,” he said. “McDavid is obviously very good in a hurry and very fast and has the fast steps right at the start. So for us, we’ll just try to stay ahead of him. There’s not much else.
“Both are such electric players and McDavid has been the driving force for them as well as their other outstanding players. It will be a good test, but we are all excited.”
Oilers goalkeeper Mike Smith said: “Obviously ‘Nate’ is a single player, a special player, a powerful guy, and you just have to be aware when he’s on the ice.
“It seems like every team has one or two or three elite players that you get used to facing in training, but when the game starts it’s a little different. They have some special players there that you need to know when.” ice and you know they can get in your face pretty fast. So you have to be prepared for anything. “
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For MacKinnon and McDavid, it’s a first-team mentality, not a top striker versus a top striker. However, each will probably be an important part of the final show of the conference.
“There’s a lot of media focus on them. Obviously, we’ll see it here in this round. It’s going to be exciting,” Avalanche CEO Joe Sakic said. “They have world – class players there, two of the best in the game, and so do we. The two teams have great depth, up and down lineups. [there’s] contributions. For the League, if you are a fan of the game, you will enjoy this series. It’s the best of the best, and it’s going to be a great seven-game series. “