Connor McDavid stood along the boards and waited for his teammates.
The Oilers had given everything in the Stanley Cup final.
McDavid rewrote the NHL's playoff record book with a jaw-dropping performance as part of a memorable post-season run that ultimately ended in Florida's sweltering heat inside Amerant Bank Arena.
The gutsy effort — Edmonton forced Game 7 with a trio of victories after trailing the title series 3-0 — wasn't enough.
Wiser and more balanced almost 12 months on, McDavid and Co. are hoping for a different closing chapter with the same opponent.
The Oilers open this year's best-of-seven showcase against the Panthers on Wednesday at Rogers Place as a calmer, more confident, grounded bunch.
Edmonton rode a roller-coaster of emotion to last year's final. After a horrendous start to the regular season that resulted in a coaching change, the club went down 3-2 in the second round and 2-1 in the Western Conference final before surging to victory.
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This version trailed the Los Angeles Kings 2-0 in the opening round and has barely looked back since. The Oilers, who are 12-2 over their last 14 contests, won four straight to take that series before disposing of the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars in five games apiece.
"Just keep giving yourselves opportunities to be in this position," McDavid said Tuesday. "Keep giving yourself chances to win, and eventually it happens. We've done that. We've put ourselves in another good spot.
"Learned a lot of lessons last year in that month that we can use this year."
Last year's playoff push saw McDavid register 42 points — the most ever by a player in a single post-season not named Wayne
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