Oilers' Connor McDavid vows to take revenge for 2023 loss to Golden Knights ahead of Round 2

The start of these Stanley Cup Playoffs resembles 2023 for Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

A six-game first-round series win over the rival LA Kings, once again, sets up a second-round matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights. However, this time around, Edmonton is hoping for a different outcome in Round 2.

The Golden Knights took down the Oilers in six games back in 2023 as the second step in their Stanley Cup-winning journey. While that loss certainly stung, the Oilers have put it behind them. And superstar Connor McDavid feels his team has a great chance to get its revenge this year and eliminate Vegas.

Edmonton's captain spoke to the media after practice on Sunday and was asked about the rematch with the Golden Knights. The Edmonton Oilers shared the full video on YouTube.

"Obviously it's difficult anytime you lose in the playoffs, especially when you feel like you had a good team. We felt like we had a good team then; obviously, they had a great team as well. So, you know, we feel like we have another good team this year. We've got as good a chance as anyone. So looking forward to getting to Vegas and getting started. Gotta find a way to start the series better," McDavid said (0:35).

"You gotta learn from your kind of failures, I guess. And that was one of them, so definitely change things more system-wise from that series, yeah. But it was a good learning experience for sure," McDavid added.

McDavid is in the seventh season of his eight-year, $100,000,000 contract extension signed with the Oilers in 2017. He becomes extension-eligible again on July 1, 2025.

Connor McDavid was dominant in Round 1

It was another spectacular postseason performance from Connor McDavid against the LA Kings in the first round.

The 28-year-old took over the series, racking up 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in six games. He continues to improve on his sparkling playoff numbers, now with 128 points (39 goals, 89 assists) in just 80 career postseason games.

Connor McDavid was his usual self in their matchup with the Golden Knights two years ago. So, for Edmonton, keeping the puck out of its own net must be the focus in order to flip the script in 2025.

McDavid and the Oilers will begin their second-round series with Game 1 in Vegas against the Golden Knights on Tuesday night. The puck drops at 9:30 p.m. EST at T-Mobile Arena.