Analysis: Connor McDavid is the reason why the Edmonton Oilers earned the Stanley Cup.

Connor McDavid is the world’s best hockey player and the main reason the Edmonton Oilers are in the Stanley Cup Final. Connor McDavid is the world’s best hockey player and the main reason the Edmonton Oilers are in the Stanley Cup Final. The reigning NHL MVP, franchise and sport’s face, is also the Oilers’ best chance of capturing a championship for the first time since 1990 and breaking Canada’s 31-year title drought. McDavid leads all playoff scorers with 31 points in 18 games and is a top contender for the Conn Smythe Trophy. But he’s received support along the road from longstanding running buddy Leon Draisaitl, breakout defenseman Evan Bouchard, and goaltender Stuart Skinner.

An early-season coaching change from Jay Woodcroft to Kris Knoblauch helped pave the way for Edmonton’s march to the final. Knoblauch’s coaching has already paid off this postseason, giving the Oilers an advantage over veteran Paul Maurice and the Panthers, who lost the Cup final last year. Forwards While McDavid is the league’s best player, longterm teammate Leon Draisaitl might potentially be in the top five. The towering 28-year-old German can skate alongside McDavid or lead his own line, giving Knoblauch an embarrassment of riches at the top of his lineup.

It doesn’t hurt that Zach Hyman is having the best stretch of his career, with 14 playoff goals. Moving further into the lineup, Edmonton has grit in winger Corey Perry, a midseason addition and key veteran who is in the final for the fourth time in five years. Defense Evan Bouchard has been a revelation this postseason, scoring 27 points in one of the best performances by a defenseman in NHL history. His 21 assists are the fourth most in a single playoffs by a player at the position, trailing only Hall of Famers Paul Coffey, Al MacInnis, and Brian Leetch.

The Oilers’ troubles with Darnell Nurse have been a source of concern, but the rest of the club has been able to compensate. Knoblauch also replaced Vincent Desharnais with Philip Broberg after trailing 2-1 in the West final, and his squad has not lost since.

Goaltending The position that has wrecked so many recent Oilers runs has once again been unpredictable, with Stuart Skinner looking invincible at moments and unplayable at others. Knoblauch turned to veteran backup Calvin Pickard in the second round against Vancouver before returning Skinner to the net. That trust was rewarded handsomely against Dallas, with Skinner compiling a.923 save percentage and allowing only 12 goals in the six-game series victory. With two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky on the opposite end as Florida’s most significant edge, Skinner needs to be on top of his game to give Edmonton a shot.

Coaching Knoblauch is a first-time NHL head coach, hired in November after the Oilers lost 10 of their first 13 games, but he has experience leading long playoff runs. He won both the Western Hockey League championship in 2011 and the Ontario Hockey League championship in 2017. He is also familiar with McDavid, having coached him for three seasons with Erie of the OHL from 2012 to 2015. The coaching shift also brought on Coffey as an assistant, and the former defenseman’s influence on the turnaround is undeniable. Intangibles Florida has home-ice advantage, but it will be difficult to replicate the enthusiasm in Edmonton during Games 3 and 4. This is the first Cup Final game in Canada with fans in the stands since Ottawa in 2007.

• The Oilers have a chance to break the country’s Stanley Cup drought, which began with Montreal’s victory in 1993. The Pick The Panthers are the slight favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Opening the series in the arena where he was drafted first overall in 2015, McDavid lifts the Cup on home ice, as Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier did, eventually reaching hockey’s pinnacle. Oilers have six.