Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel will share the same sheet of NHL ice for the first time in their professional careers Tuesday night in Buffalo.
Huge deal, yeah?
Perhaps to everyone except the first and second overall selections in last year's draft.
Naturally, McDavid and Eichel rejected the notion that Tuesday night's clash was anything more than the Buffalo Sabres hosting the Edmonton Oilers in a matchup of two clubs desperate for points.
"The media has us pegged as not liking each other or being rivals (when) we really just don't know each other," McDavid said.
Eichel was particularly dismissive in his media availability.
"I think you guys all probably want to view it that way but I think inside the room you don't look at it like that. It's a team game. There's five guys on the ice and a goalie. It's a lot more than two people playing against each other," Eichel said.
"We're playing the Oilers tonight, we're not playing Connor McDavid. Obviously he's a key component to their team, and he's a good player. Right after I get out of here I'll go pre-scout Edmonton and I will know what to do."
Though they'll have to deal with this line of questioning for at least the next several seasons, there's hope for McDavid and Eichel to escape their constant comparison eventually.
These days, the Oilers and Stars can meet without "Taylor versus Tyler" dominating the pre- and post-game chatter, and even Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin's apparent distaste for one another seems to have subsided, too.
Until then.
