SUNRISE, Fla. — Connor McDavid and Aleksander Barkov usually only to get to play against each other twice a season.
In the Stanley Cup Final, McDavid, the game’s most talented offensive player, will potentially go head-to-head with Barkov, the reigning Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defensive forward, for as many as seven games with hockey’s biggest prize on the line.
It will be one of the most intriguing matchups of the Final between McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers and Barkov’s Florida Panthers, which begins with Game 1 on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS).
“It’s always fun when you get into the playoffs, and you’ve got some of the best players playing against each other in meaningful games,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said at Stanley Cup Final Media Day on Friday. “I’m sure they’re thinking kind of the same thing over there, but really whoever you go against, you’ve got to find a way to beat them, whether it’s Barkov or (Sam) Bennett or their other couple of lines. So, it’s always a challenge and it’s going to be fun.”
McDavid, a three-time winner of the Hart Trophy (2016-17, 2020-21, 2022-23) as the NHL’s most valuable player, and finalist again this season, leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 31 points (five goals, 26 assists) in 18 games. The 27-year-old center was third in the NHL during the regular season with 132 points (32 goals, 100 assists) in 76 games, the seventh time in his nine NHL seasons he reached 100.
McDavid has won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL leader in points during the regular season five times (2016-18, 2020-23).
“He’s a really, really good player,” Barkov said. “He’s an exceptional talent, for sure. Everyone knows how good he is. I don’t need to start talking about his game here, but it’s going to take the whole team, for sure. Every guy on the ice needs to be aware of how to play against him.”
