What Happened
Connor McDavid recorded his second five-point game of the young season on Saturday, helping the Edmonton Oilers to a 6-2 win over Utah. The performance brought McDavid to 23 points through eight games. According to Sportsnet, the only player in NHL history to exceed that pace is Mario Lemieux, who had 27 points in eight games in both 1995-96 and 1992-93, and 31 points in eight games to open 1988-89.
Key Details
- McDavid has 23 points in eight games, including two five-point performances.
- Lemieux opened 1988-89 with 31 points in eight games and finished with 199 in 76 games.
- Wayne Gretzky is the only player with a 200-point season, reaching the mark four times from 1981-82 to 1985-86.
- The NHL schedule is 84 games this season, four more than the 80-game slate of Gretzky's era.
- McDavid's current pace would produce 215 points even if he is held scoreless in his next game.
What It Means
McDavid's start has revived discussion of the 200-point plateau, a mark only Gretzky has reached. The extra four games on the 84-game schedule give McDavid slightly more runway than Gretzky had in the early 1980s. Sportsnet notes that a 200-point season remains unlikely, but the pace itself places McDavid's opening stretch alongside Lemieux's best early-season runs.
What's Next
McDavid's pace will be measured against the 200-point question over the coming games. According to Sportsnet, a couple of points in each of his next two outings would put him on a rate above 225 points. He turns 30 in about three months.