Edmonton Oilers accomplished rare McDavid-related feat in Seattle victory
The Edmonton Oilers have done something that they have never been able to accomplish with Saturday night’s 4-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken.
It was a game that saw the Oilers get some help from depth scorers with Vasily Podkolzin and Jeff Skinner notching the first two goals of the game while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the eventual game-winner. Leon Draisaitl was able to polish things off in the final minutes with an empty-netter as well.
One name that is absent from that summary is captain Connor McDavid, who was held off the score sheet for the second straight game. It’s a rare occurrence to see the Oilers captain have no points in consecutive games, but it’s even rarer for Edmonton to win both of those games.
In fact, the victory in Seattle marked the first time ever that the Oilers were able to win consecutive games where McDavid recorded no points. Sportsnet broadcaster Jack Michaels pointed this out on social media following the game.
That’s the first time in Connor McDavid’s career that the Oilers have won two games in a row without a point from 97. pic.twitter.com/gpLrWpvd87
— Jack Michaels (@EdmontonJack) January 5, 2025
It may sound like a surprising statistic, but you have to consider that McDavid going consecutive games without a point does not happen all that often. Since 2021, that has only happened nine times. Not having your best player score any points will make it difficult for any team in the league to win consecutive games, especially for a team that relies so heavily on their top scorers like the Oilers.
However, this is signalling a bit of a change in how the Oilers should be perceived. For years, Edmonton was viewed as a team that was carried on McDavid’s back and whose success was often attributed more to the star power at the top of the lineup rather than the depth throughout.
That is no longer the case in the Alberta capital. The team as it is currently assembled can still operate at a high level even without McDavid filling up the score sheet. The additions of players like Viktor Arvidsson and Skinner will help get scoring elsewhere in the lineup and the existing core of Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman are starting to heat up once again.
Draisaitl has also emerged as the NHL’s top player so far this season as well.
McDavid remains a huge part of this Oilers squad, but he is no longer doing all the heavy lifting. This Edmonton team has proven that they are more than a one-player operation and that should terrify the rest of the league.