Oilers' McDavid hits mark last accomplished by Lemieux 28 years ago
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid stayed red-hot in Tuesday night’s 5-4 shootout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
The reigning Hart Trophy winner continued his dominant streak, chipping in a smooth breakaway goal, two assists, and a shootout winner. All of those contributions, save for the shootout goal, came in the second period of the game, marking a very rare occurrence.
That three-point second period means that McDavid scored three points in a single period in three consecutive games. The last time another player had done that was when Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux did it 28 years ago in 1995.
Oilers Connor McDavid
First player to record a 3-point period in 3 consecutive games since Mario Lemieux from Oct 26-Nov 1, 1995
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) November 29, 2023
The streak started in Washington for McDavid when he dished out three assists in the second period of a 5-0 win over the Capitals. He then exploded in the first period against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night, scoring a goal and getting two assists in an 8-2 victory.
This has all contributed to an outrageous outburst of points over the last three games for the Oilers captain. Prior to last Friday’s game in Washington, McDavid had 16 points on the season. He has since scored 12 points over the next three games to raise that total to 28, tying Leon Draisaitl for the Oilers lead.
This has also vastly improved his standing in the NHL scoring race, where he now ranks ninth.
CONNOR MCDAVID STAYS HOT! 🔥
That's his 11th point in his last three games! pic.twitter.com/9YnP9mpABi
— NHL (@NHL) November 29, 2023
From the eyes of Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, there is one thing he is noticing in McDavid’s game of late that might be contributing to his return to form.
“I think there is a lot less frustration with him than there was previously two weeks ago,” Knoblauch told reporters after Tuesday night’s win.
McDavid’s resurgence is coming at the right time for the Oilers. After a horrible start to the season, the team is now 8-12-1 and within striking distance of rejoining the playoff picture. Right now, the team is just five points back of the Nashville Predators for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference.
We’ll see if McDavid can make it four games in a row when the Oilers head to Winnipeg for a date with the Jets on Thursday night.