"I'm not going to shoot": McDavid jokes about goal drought with Oilers
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is going to take a unique new approach to how he plays the game.
The NHL’s reigning Hart Trophy winner has been pouring on the points, netting 18 points in his last six games. Despite that, McDavid has zero goals in his last nine games, with all those points being assists.
In his morning skate availability with media, McDavid joked about how this is all part of his master plan to change up his game.
“I’ve decided to see just how many assists I can get,” McDavid told reporters. “That’s the focus; I’m not going to shoot the puck anymore and not going to score any more goals.”
"We know this team well, we know what it takes to beat them."
Connor McDavid shares his thoughts ahead of tonightās matchup with the Kings. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/7gxPmoReGc
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 26, 2024
It has been a strange stretch for the captain. McDavid is coming off a 64-goal Rocket Richard trophy campaign last season but has only had 21 goals in 53 games this season. Though he isn’t scoring at quite the rate he did last season, he is still among the league leaders in points, ranking third with 89.
“Obviously, of course, I want to score, I want to produce,” McDavid continued. “I want to help this team any way I can, and scoring goals is a part of that.”
What McDavid can accomplish that might roll some eyes is a 100-assist season. The Oilers captain currently has 69 assists and could very well breach 100 by the end of the season. This would make him only the fourth player in NHL history to accomplish such a feat, joining Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr in the record books.
Gretzky holds the record for most assists in a season with 163 in 1985-86, a record McDavid will probably never quite get to.
NHL.com
Tonight would be a great night for McDavid to end his goal-scoring drought with some new-look lines. The LA Kings are in town, and third place in the Pacific Division is on the line. Gametime is set for 7:30 pm MT.