Matthew Tkachuk vs Stuart Skinner (Sergei Belski-Imagn Images)EDMONTON – “We’ve got our hands full.”
Matthew Tkachuk knows what the Edmonton Oilers – and by extension, Connor McDavid – are all about.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more.
In preparation for the upcoming Stanley Cup Final series between the Oilers and Florida Panthers, Tkachuk made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“I’m pretty familiar with them from my time in Calgary,” Tkachuk revealed to McAfee. “Seeing those players grow, playing against McDavid a ton.”
“When you are playing against the best player in the world, he’s going to give you a challenge each and every night.”
Trending Oilers Stories
Tkachuk has certainly played against McDavid a lot. He was drafted the year after the current Oilers’ captain by the Oilers' bitter rivals to the south, the Calgary Flames.
Tkachuk has seen different iterations of this Oilers team. He’s seen the highs and lows. He’s also taken notice of how things have gone for them this season. He also believes that their defensive game hasn’t been taken seriously.
“They are a deep team,” Tkachuk complimented. “They play really hard at both ends of the ice. Their goalie is playing incredible right now. I think the thing that’s underrated with them is their defense.”
“They make it hard to get to the net, they block a lot of shots, all the stuff you’ve gotta do to have a successful team.”
Things are coming together at the right time for the Oilers. Mattias Ekholm, Evander Kane, Trent Frederic, John Klingberg, and Jake Walman have all hopped onto the ice after injuries prevented them from playing at the end of the season.
Losing the first two games of the playoffs was more about team chemistry and different players finding their legs than anything else. Since then, the team has been red hot.
Tkachuk has taken stock of that and has been impressed by the Oilers in that regard.
“They started the playoffs down two games to LA and since then they’ve been 12-2,” Tkachuk said. “12-2 is incredible in the regular season, that’s almost unheard of in the playoffs.”
“They’re playing the best hockey of the year…for them. It’s going to be a battle for us.”
Wednesday can’t come soon enough. Bring on the battle.
Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.