Oilers' Connor McDavid, Evander Kane meet up with Macklin Celebrini and other draft prospects ahead of Stanley Cup Final Game 2

Before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton Oilers stars Connor McDavid and Evander Kane caught up with some top NHL draft prospects. Among them were Macklin Celebrini, Cayden Lindstrom, Artyom Levshunov and Zeev Buium. Celebrini is expected to be the first overall pick by the San Jose Sharks in the upcoming draft.

Lindstrom, Levshunov and Buium are also highly regarded prospects eligible for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The pre-game chat gave these young players a chance to meet and learn from seasoned veterans before they potentially join the league.

Chris Johnston, an NHL Insider shared this interaction between the Oilers stars and the draft prospects on X/ Twitter.

The Oilers, after a 3-0 loss in Game 1, are looking to bounce back strong in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against Florida Panthers. The game is set for Monday at 8 p.m. EDT. You can catch it on ABC or stream it on Sling TV and other platforms.

Florida Panthers defeat Edmonton Oilers in Stanley Cup Final opener with strong penalty kill

In the first game of the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers stopped the Edmonton Oilers' strong power play. They won 3-0 by preventing Edmonton from scoring during all three of its power plays.

Even though the Panthers depended a lot on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to save them when they made defensive mistakes, the defensemen still did a decent job. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad recognized the importance of maintaining pressure on the penalty kill against a skilled team like the Oilers.

“They got some incredible chances. Our PK is predicated on pressure all the way, and we never want to lose that. Especially against a team like this, the more time you give them, they’re going to make plays," Ekblad said (via NHL.com)

Edmonton has a really strong power play, especially because of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They're both at the top of the NHL for scoring points when their team has a power play opportunity. Florida forward Sam Bennett recognized the importance of maintaining discipline to counter Edmonton's strong power play.

“Obviously, that’s their strong suit; they want to get on the power play,” Bennett said. “They want to use their top guys in those opportunities, so we know we can be more disciplined."

Florida understands the significance of disciplined play to limit Edmonton's power-play opportunities, and will likely hope for the same in Game 2.