Thursday night was a magical one in Edmonton. The Edmonton Oilers racked up three straight wins for the first time this season, caught up to the Canucks, Kings and Golden Knights, the penalty kill was solid, and Connor McDavid became the fourth fastest player behind Gretzky, Lemieux and Bossy to hit the 1000 point milestone. The kid is still only 27 years old by the way. He has a real shot of becoming the second player ever to exceed the 2,000-point mark. In honour of the greatness and legacy #97 has brought to the city, let’s go over his past point milestones from 100 to 1000.
Career Point 100 – January 18, 2017 vs Florida
McDavid got career point #100 on an assist on Zack Kassian’s goal in the game to make it 1–0 early. After another goal by the Oilers on the power play from Mark Letestu, the Oilers let the lead slip away and saw them down by one within the final moments of the third. After a beautiful wrister by Eberle (oh how I miss you), the game was sent to overtime. McDavid, as he tends to do, clutched with a beautiful backhand goal on Reimer within the dying seconds to win the game for the Oilers. A pretty fun game and another dominant performance from our captain.
Career Point 200 – January 13, 2018 vs Vegas
What a memorable night this was. Not only did McDavid hit 200 career points here, thanks to a game-tying goal by Drake Caggiula, but it was also McDavid’s 21st birthday which happened to be in Las Vegas!!! This also marked the first time Edmonton visited Vegas in their history. The Oilers struck early from a Maroon tip via Nurse and traded goals back and forth to once again send the game to overtime. This time Darnell Nurse scored the game-winner on a partial breakaway to beat Fleury glove-side and win the game for the Oilers.
Career Point 300 – December 13, 2018 vs Winnipeg
Once again, another game where the Oilers saw overtime. What a wild game this was. The Oilers started the scoring with Ryan Spooner getting his second (and last… curse you Chiarelli) goal as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. After three straight Jets goals made it a 3–1 game, McDavid would get an assist on a Darnell Nurse goal to bring it within two. After a bottom-six depth goal by Khaira, the Oilers were sent on the power play where McDavid grabbed point 300 on a goal by Alex Chiasson. The Oilers would lose the game in overtime this time however via a Josh Morrissey goal.
Career Point 400 – November 11, 2019 vs Anaheim
Finally, a game that doesn’t see overtime! The Oilers came into Anaheim and absolutely destroyed the Ducks. It started early with an RNH goal assisted by James Neal. After the Ducks scored to tie it, Connor McDavid did McDavid things. He zipped past a few Ducks players and fired it five-hole. After two more goals by Kassian and RNH, McDavid did McDavid things AGAIN. Using his speed to get past Jakob Silfverberg, he was tripped and on his knees and yet, using his momentum and the very little space he had to shoot, roofed it upstairs on John Gibson. A jaw-dropping goal. He later got the hat trick on the power play to secure point 300. What a night.
Career Point 500 – February 17, 2021 vs Winnipeg
McDavid got point 500 against the Jets during his amazing 2020–21 shortened season that saw him put up over 100 points in 56 games. Crazy how that was almost four years ago. Time flies. McDavid got it on an assist from a Puljujarvi breakaway goal. McDavid would add another assist on the power play on a Draisaitl trademark one-tee goal and beat the Jets 3–2.
Career Point 600 – November 15, 2021 vs St. Louis
Another phenomenal game. McDavid got point 600 on a late first period goal assisted beautifully by Zach Hyman. After sending another trademark pass to Draisaitl on the power play to put the boys up 2–1, the Blues stormed back to tie it. However, RNH and Ryan McLeod (his first of his NHL career) scored eight seconds apart and brought the game to a 4–2 score. The Blues would not die, however, and ended up tying the game 4–4. In the end, a Leon Draisaitl cross-crease one-timer to Kailer Yamamoto with 29 seconds remaining in regulation won the game for the Orange and Blue.
Career Point 700 – October 13, 2022 vs Vancouver
Once again, another very memorable game. The Oilers opened their 2022–23 season against the Canucks, after a trip to the WCF against the Avalanche. Excitement was shown throughout the city and the Oilers brought back their royal blues this game. It also marked the first NHL game of Dylan Holloway (oh how I miss you).
After being down 3–0, the Oilers dug in. Leon Draisaitl scored on the power play and then a beautiful tic-tac-toe play goal by McDavid brought it within one. A Nurse shorthanded goal to end the second period made it a tie game. Late in the third, McDavid from Hyman gave the Oilers the edge and then McDavid would end the night with a hat trick via an empty-net goal assisted by Evander Kane. What a comeback and a start to the season.
Career Point 800 – February 21, 2023 vs Philadelphia
Unlike most games here, this was a bit of a snoozefest. They were disengaged and sloppy in the first two periods as they were down by one and only had ten shots against the bad Flyers team. A goal by Draisaitl on a four-minute power play tied the game and McDavid received point 800 on a bit of a bank shot off Carter Hart and collected an empty-netter to seal the game. A solid 4–2 outing. (This is basically three years exactly to his 500th point night. 300 points in a two-year span is INSANE!!).
Career Point 900 – January 2, 2024 vs Philadelphia
Another night to be called “McDavid Magic.” McDavid collected a point on all five(!) of the Oilers’ goals in this game. A five-point night to start 2024. He had a beauty goal late in the first where he walked Travis Sanheim and buried it five-hole on Carter Hart to start the scoring. He then did a no-looker with three Flyers on his back to find Zach Hyman to bury it backhand upstairs. This was the goal to grab point #900. McDavid’s next two points came on the man-advantage and a delayed penalty and grabbed point #5 on a beautiful two-on-one with RNH.
Career Point 1,000 – November 14, 2024 vs Nashville
Of course, the goal that inspired this article. What else is there to say and what better way to do it? A two-on-one goal from a pass by Draisaitl and another beautiful assist to Nurse to win the game in overtime. For those keeping track, the Oilers’ record in the McDavid milestone games is 9–0–1. Just utterly impressive!
We’re truly lucky to have a player of McDavid’s calibre here in Edmonton and there are still great moments ahead for him and this Oilers team.
