By the Numbers: McDavid on cusp of sixth 100-point season
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One week after the NHL All-Star break, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid sits at 99 points and looks to hit the century mark against the New York Rangers on Friday night.
McDavid is scoring 1.80 points per game, putting him on pace to finish with 148 this season, which would the highest point total since Mario Lemieux and teammate Jaromir Jagr finished with 161 and 149, respectively, in the 1995-96 season.
If the 26-year-old is able to reach 150 points, he would be one of just six players in NHL history to reach 150 points and the first since 1996. Lemieux (1988, 1989, 1993, 1996), Wayne Gretzky (1981-1987, 1989, 1991), Steve Yzerman (1988-89), Phil Esposito (1970-71), and Bernie Nicholls (1988-89) are the only other players to accomplish the feat.
With 42 goals in 55 games, the Richmond Hill, Ont. native is also on pace to pot 62 goals and capture the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy, in addition to the Art Ross.
If he reaches 60, McDavid would be just the fourth player since 2000 to reach the plateau, following Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin (2008), Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos (2012), and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (2022). His pace of 62 would be the highest NHL total since Ovechkin’s 65 goals in 2007-08.
McDavid’s 100-point streak
The four-time Art Ross trophy winner is set to surpass 100 points for the third-straight year and sixth time in the past seven seasons. He likely would have registered a seventh 100-point season (97 points in 64GP) had the 2019-20 season not been shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
McDavid has dominated his NHL contemporaries this season, holding a 19-point lead over the league’s next-highest scorer, Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl is also the only other player with more than 80 points entering play Thursday.
With 27 games remaining in the season, the two-time Hart Trophy winner has the Oilers just two points back of the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights as he looks to improve on last season’s playoff run that ended with a disappointing sweep at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche.