Connor McDavid admired and looked up to Sidney Crosby as the kind of player he wanted to become one day.

But when McDavid was pretending as a kid to score the goal to win the Stanley Cup, he always imagined himself being in that position.

含羞草研究社淵ou含羞草研究社檙e not sure you含羞草研究社檙e ever going to get that opportunity,含羞草研究社� McDavid said. 含羞草研究社淗ere we are with that opportunity.含羞草研究社�

That opportunity is only possible after McDavid led the Edmonton Oilers back from a 3-0 deficit in the final to set up Game 7 against the Florida Panthers on Monday night with hockey含羞草研究社檚 hallowed trophy at stake. He and his teammates are now on the verge of completing one of the biggest comebacks in sports history, attempting to block out the ramifications to focus on accomplishing something not done in the NHL since 1942.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 not your ordinary game, everybody understands that, but you含羞草研究社檝e got to make it as ordinary as possible in your head,含羞草研究社� McDavid said after practice Sunday, the Oilers含羞草研究社� final one of the season. 含羞草研究社淥ur room has done a great job of being at our best in these big moments, and I would expect no different.含羞草研究社�

McDavid has been at his best in the biggest moments of his first trip to the Cup final, recording four points apiece in Games 4 and 5 to keep Edmonton from getting swept and then dragging the Panthers back across North America to Alberta for a Game 6 the Oilers won on home ice without him getting on the scoresheet.

The reigning and three-time league MVP has not been held without a point in back-to-back games this entire playoff run, and McDavid is the biggest X-factor on the big stage. Veteran winger Corey Perry, a Cup champion in 2007 who含羞草研究社檚 in his third final in four years, said McDavid 含羞草研究社渃an do magical things at any point in the game.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淓very game we go into, we know we have the best player in the world on our side,含羞草研究社� said Leon Draisaitl, McDavid含羞草研究社檚 longtime running mate and an MVP in his own right who assisted on the opening goal in Game 6. 含羞草研究社淏ut this league is really, really hard to just go through one player or two or three players. You need a whole team, and I think we含羞草研究社檝e shown that.含羞草研究社�

Forward Mattias Janmark called McDavid the catalyst and the face of this rally in the final, but with Selke Trophy winner as the best defensive forward Aleksander Barkov on the other side, along with elite goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, it will likely take more than just their captain含羞草研究社檚 magic to finish a job last done more than 80 years ago.

Draisaitl acknowledged being human comes with thoughts drifting to the big picture, the idea of joining the 含羞草研究社�42 Maple Leafs in the record books. Teammate Connor Brown called it 含羞草研究社渁 chance to finish the script that we含羞草研究社檝e been writing.含羞草研究社�

It含羞草研究社檚 a script the Panthers would love to flip after taking the first three games of the series and being one win away from sweeping their way to the first championship in franchise history. Not much has gone right since.

含羞草研究社淒oesn含羞草研究社檛 matter how it含羞草研究社檚 gone or how you draw it up,含羞草研究社� Florida winger Matthew Tkachuk said. 含羞草研究社淭his is an absolutely incredible, incredible opportunity. So, yes, you want to recognize or remember some of the good things that helped you beat these guys earlier in the series, but I含羞草研究社檓 trying to forget all of it. Just go in there and win one game. This is what it comes down to.含羞草研究社�

Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch foreshadowed this the morning of Game 4, when he said he was 含羞草研究社渞eally excited for the next 10 days含羞草研究社� hours before his team faced elimination for the first time. What sounded delusional then has now become prescient: wins of 8-1, 5-3 and 5-1 to outscore the Panthers 18-5 and send the series back to South Florida, where few expected more hockey to be played this season.

含羞草研究社淚 don含羞草研究社檛 think there was ever a moment in that dressing room that they didn含羞草研究社檛 think they had a chance,含羞草研究社� Knoblauch said.

Here is that chance, for McDavid to hoist the Cup in the same building he was drafted in nine years ago, to end Canada含羞草研究社檚 title drought at 31 years and 30 seasons and to varnish a legacy as hockey含羞草研究社檚 greatest player that is missing only being atop the NHL for the first time.

含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檙e excited about it,含羞草研究社� McDavid said. 含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檝e worked hard to put ourself in this position, and it含羞草研究社檚 a great opportunity for our group and we含羞草研究社檙e looking forward to it.含羞草研究社�

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Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press