The Florida Panthers held an optional practice at Baptist Health Iceplex in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Monday. The Edmonton Oilers held a full practice.

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A reporter asked Connor McDavid how much extra pressure he's feeling, as the greatest player in the world, to lead the Oilers to a pair of wins this week and claim his first Stanley Cup.

"That's a pretty heavy question," Edmonton's captain responded. "I don't think about it that way. If you think about it that way, you'd be probably pretty crippled in terms of how you prepare and how you play."

The Oilers trail the Panthers 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final with Game 6 set for Tuesday night in Sunrise, Fla.

"It's a big game," McDavid said. "Everybody knows that. I know that. And I'm looking forward to it. It's fun hockey. It's been a fun series to be a part of."

McDavid paused before continuing.

"The Cup will be in the building," he said. "Those games are what you dream of. Obviously it's not for us, but any time the Cup's in the building and you're playing, it's a good sign."

After losing 5-2 at home on Saturday night, Edmonton is looking to stave off elimination and drag the Panthers back to Alberta.

"I'm excited," said McDavid. "I'm excited about the opportunity. We've bounced back. A lot's been made about that. We talk about that all the time. But, for whatever reason, our group doesn't like to make it easy on ourselves, and we've put ourselves in another difficult spot and it's our job to work our way out of it, and I would expect that tomorrow."

In last year's Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers reeled off three straight wins with the Cup in the building before falling in Florida in Game 7.

McDavid (55 points in 30 games) and fellow Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl (51 points in 30 games) are two of just 18 players in NHL history with 50-plus points in games when their team is trailing in a best-of-seven series. The only other active skaters on that list are Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin (52 points in 48 games) and Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman (50 points in 47 games).

After piling up five assists in the first two games of this series against Florida, McDavid has a goal and two assists in the last three games. He's been a minus player in all three of those games.

"It's not really about me," the 28-year-old........

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