“He’s the best” – Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon downplays the matchup with Oiler’s Connor McDavid

“He’s the best” – Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon downplays the matchup with Oiler’s Connor McDavid

Nathan Mackinnon and Connor McDavid

Everyone’s on the lookout for a superstar matchup of Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton Oiler’s Connor McDavid when the National Hockey League’s Western Conference finals open with Game 1 on Tuesday. MacKinnon’s been hoping for it in the least, but that’s got nothing to do with besting McDavid, 

“Hopefully, that [storyline] gets more viewers and lowers escrow [for players], but other than that I don’t care,” MacKinnon said Monday. “I’m not really thinking about [McDavid] a whole lot, but obviously I see that stuff. I think he’s the best, I’ve said it. I think he’s been the best for a little bit now and it’s going to take a full team effort to stop him.”

MacKinnon’s witty comment to the reference to NHL’s revenue-sharing structure where more money coming in for the league means less coming back of player’s salary was at least addressed by McDavid head-on.

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MacKinnon addresses McDavid as ‘the best’

Nathan Mackinnon and Connor McDavid
Nathan Mackinnon and Connor McDavid

When in turn asked about Nathan MacKinnon, the Oiler’s captain Connor McDavid sidestepped mentioning him together. He commented, “They’re a good team over there”. “I’ve learned that over the last couple of years. This year is no different. They’ve got some real good players and they’re really good all around.”

As per mentioned in abcnews.go.com, it was remarked as a valiant effort made by both players but no amount of downplaying can remove the pending ‘wow’ factor. It is not common for two powerhouse offensive teams like Colorado Avalanche and the Edmonton Oilers to meet in later rounds of the postseason when they are pacing the playoff field in average goals-per-game.

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Avalanche’s defenceman Cale Makar commented, “There’s a lot of similarities between MacKinnon and McDavid”. “But at the same time, they’re very different playing styles. McDavid’s very good off the rush and very fast and he’s got the quick steps right at the beginning. They’re both such electric players and McDavid’s been the driving force for them as well as their other top guys. He’ll be a good test, but we’re all excited.”

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