“Everybody has a sport plan for this younger man. It isn’t working. It isn’t going to work for the remainder of his profession.”
That was Paul Maurice in 2016, then the top coach of the Winnipeg Jets, speaking about Connor McDavid. Quick ahead eight years and Maurice is readying his Florida Panthers for that actual activity. For the primary time, McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are enjoying within the Stanley Cup Closing. Hockey followers have waited practically a decade to look at the Edmonton Oilers’ superstars on the largest stage.
To be clear: This sequence is not about solely them, however it’s a distinctive alternative for the league to have its finest participant in prime time. For our Cup finals preview, we have a look at key factors of distinction within the sequence, which workforce my mannequin favors and why, together with a projection on the sequence outcome.
The mannequin is a neural community that accounts for participant energy; offensive, defensive and particular groups efficiency; goaltending; matchup rankings; and relaxation. Because the mannequin ingests knowledge, it improves, with the heaviest weights on latest play. The mannequin permits for gamers to be added and eliminated, with their impression on the sport outcomes measured.
Listed here are the keys to Panthers-Oilers, with Sport 1 on Saturday (8 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN+).
