McDavid 'feels a little more normal' heading into Game 2 of Cup Final

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Connor McDavid said the butterflies in his gut that accompanied his first career appearance in a Stanley Cup Final are gone and that he's returned to his regular routine.

The Edmonton Oilers hope that means the leading scorer this postseason with 31 points (five goals, 26 assists) will find the score sheet again in Game 2 at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC) after he and the team were shut out by Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers, 3-0 in Game 1 of the best-of-7 series on Saturday.

McDavid admitted feeling a few nerves at being on the big stage during the opener here, with all the hype and hoopla that accompanied the pregame ceremonies, including the Stanley Cup sitting on a table at center ice during the two national anthems.

The Oilers will attempt to tie the series before the series shifts to Edmonton for Games 3 and 4.

"Initially there was (pressure) the first little while," McDavid said after the morning skate Monday. "But ultimately, it's the same old game. And even today, it feels a little more normal than it did the other day.

"Once we get into the playing hockey side of things, well, it's just what we do. It's what we do best. That's what we love to do. And that's when things feel more normal."

The Oilers held an upbeat morning workout and showed no signs of having lost any confidence at being behind in the series. Far from it.

The message continues to be that momentum will shift their way if they play similarly to the opener, a game in which the Oilers outshot the Panthers 32-18.

While the Oilers were going through their drills, a handful of the top prospects for the upcoming 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft in Las Vegas were in the stands watching with interest. On a number of occasions, gasps of awe could be heard coming from the group, which included the projected No. 1 pick, center Macklin Celebrini, as McDavid was doing McDavid things during line rushes.

Bringing the top prospects to a Stanley Cup Final game has been a long-time tradition by the NHL. To that end, McDavid, who was selected No. 1 by the Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft, was asked about his recollections of being part of that during his draft year.

"It was in Chicago during the 2015 Tampa Bay-Chicago series. It was really cool," McDavid said. "Just to meet some of the guys like (Jonathan) Toews, (Patrick) Kane, guys like that."

McDavid said he and some of his teammates were able to briefly talk to Celebrini and the other prospects after the skate was done.

"They seem like great kids. They said they had fun at the Combine which we were surprised at," McDavid said with a chuckle.

Asked if he had any advice, McDavid said, "It doesn't really matter where you're picked. Most kids want to be in the top five, but it doesn't really matter where you're picked. That's just the start."