BLOG: McDavid & Draisaitl prepared for physical Cup Final

SUNRISE, FL – Of course it’s going to be physical – it’s the Stanley Cup Final.

Combine the intensity of playing in the NHL championship series with the fact that their opponents lead the playoffs in hits and penalty minutes and the Oilers are bracing for impact as they prepare to square off against the Florida Panthers.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl – who have combined for 59 points in 18 games so far in the playoffs – were asked Wednesday after practice about the Eastern Conference champions' physical style of play and how it affects the way they're preparing for the series that gets going Saturday in Sunrise.

"It's the playoffs, it's the finals, I would expect physicality no matter who you're playing," McDavid said. "Florida plays a fast game, in your face and aggressive, but I don't think it changes anything for us."

"We can be a physical team too," Draisaitl echoed. "Obviously we like to play with the puck, but we're certainly not intimidated by physicality. We've handled it well in the Vancouver series, handled it well in the L.A. series. Dallas was a little bit different, but we're a good enough team. We've got enough guys that know how to play that type of way as well. We'll be ready to go."

The poster boy for the Panthers in the agitating department is Matthew Tkachuk, who has 45 hits and 19 penalty minutes in 17 post-season games, and spent the first six seasons of his NHL career waging war with the provicinal rival Oilers as a member of the Calgary Flames.

McDavid was asked Wednesday if he expects to tangle with the same version of Tkachuk in the Stanley Cup Final with Florida that he saw so many times during the Battle of Alberta.

"I would expect the same guy," the captain smirked. "He's a great player. Smart, effective, understands the gamesmanship side of the game and he's good at it."

Physical play often results in penalties and the Oilers happen to lead the playoffs in power play (37.3%) and penalty kill (93.9%) effectiveness. Bring on the special teams battle, McDavid said.

"A lot's been talked about their physicality and the way they play," he said of the Panthers. "If they're going to take penalties and stuff like that, our power play is good at what we do. I would expect scrums and stuff like that. We're a veteran team, one of the older teams in the league. I don't think that stuff bothers the guys in here."