- Connor McDavid had two goals and three assists in a 6-2 Oilers win over the Mammoth
- He leads the NHL with 23 points through eight games
- Read below for the opening-minute goal, the franchise record he tied and what it means for his pace
Connor McDavid is putting up numbers nobody has seen before.
The Oilers captain scored twice and added three assists Saturday night in a 6-2 win over the Utah Mammoth at Delta Center, per the NHL.com game recap. That gives him 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) through eight games, the most in the League, and he extended his point streak to open the season.
Our timeline put the rest in perspective:
At that rate McDavid is on pace for roughly 242 points over an 84-game schedule. Obviously that won’t hold, but 23 points in eight games is the kind of start that gets people checking record books.
He needed all of 40 seconds to get going. Leon Draisaitl sent him in alone and McDavid cut across the slot before sliding a backhand around Karel Vejmelka’s left pad. It was his seventh opening-minute goal, which ties a franchise record held by Mark Messier.
Watch the goal:
Draisaitl had a goal and an assist, and Vasily Podkolzin added two assists. Zach Hyman returned from a six-game absence and scored his first of the season. Mathieu Joseph picked up his first as an Oiler, and Kasperi Kapanen scored too. Vejmelka allowed five goals on 17 shots and gave way to Sebastian Cossa in the second period.
McDavid saved his fifth point for the third period. He poked the puck away from John Marino in the neutral zone and went in on another breakaway to make it 6-2 at 10:17. Take a look:
The Oilers wanted this one after Utah beat them 4-2 on Thursday for their first regulation loss of the year. They are now 6-1-1 and are 5-0-0 on the road. McDavid was already on a tear before Saturday, putting up four points in his 800th NHL game against the Kings earlier this week.
There was also a Trent Frederic and Jack McBain fight in the first period if you missed it.
Edmonton heads home for a five-game homestand with McDavid atop the League scoring race.
