Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are no strangers to lighting up the scoresheet. Although the Edmonton Oilers’ dynamic duo can make life miserable for just about any NHL opponent, some teams seem to get the worst of it.
On November 7, Sportsnet Stats noted that Draisaitl had scored more career goals against the Vancouver Canucks than against any other team, with 31 at the time. Naturally, he went out and added two more that same night.
It raises an interesting question: We know McDrai can score against anyone, but which teams bring out their best?
Looking at their career regular-season numbers through 2025–26, let’s see which opponents have suffered the most and whether those trends have continued into the current season.
Which team does McDrai score the most against?
McDavid and Draisaitl have left their mark on just about every NHL team, but some opponents have taken considerably more punishment than others.
Familiar Pacific Division rivals feature heavily in their career scoring totals. However, the teams surrendering the most goals aren’t necessarily the ones giving up the most points.
Connor McDavid
| Most career goals | Most career points | ||
| Opponent | Goals | Opponent | Points |
| Calgary | 30 | Vancouver | 75 |
| Utah/Arizona | 25 | Calgary | 67 |
| Vancouver | 24 | Winnipeg | 64 |
| San Jose | 21 | Anaheim | 62 |
| Los Angeles | 19 | San Jose | 61 |
Calgary has surrendered more goals to McDavid than any other opponent, with 30 in 46 meetings. Meanwhile, Vancouver leads his career points total with 75.
Winnipeg has experienced a different side of McDavid’s dominance. McDavid has assisted on 51 of his 64 points against Winnipeg, showing just how much damage he can do as a playmaker.
Leon Draisaitl
| Most career goals | Most career points | ||
| Opponent | Goals | Opponent | Points |
| Nashville | 30 | Calgary | 71 |
| Vancouver | 29 | Vancouver | 62 |
| Anaheim | 28 | Anaheim | 55 |
| Winnipeg | 25 | Nashville | 55 |
| Calgary / Chicago | 20 each | Winnipeg | 46 |
Draisaitl has made life particularly difficult for Nashville. Through 2025–26, he had scored 30 goals in just 32 meetings with the Predators, nearly a goal per game.
However, Calgary leads his career points total with 71. Of those, 51 have come from assists, suggesting the Battle of Alberta has brought out more of Draisaitl’s playmaking than his goal-scoring.
While their career totals favour familiar opponents, those rankings don’t necessarily reflect which teams have struggled the most to contain them on a per-game basis.
Quantity versus consistency: The points-per-game difference
However, total points only tell part of the story. Facing a divisional rival multiple times each season gives McDavid and Draisaitl more opportunities to accumulate points than they typically get against Eastern Conference opponents.
Points per game (P/GP) helps account for that difference, revealing which matchups have brought out their highest scoring rates.
Connor McDavid
| Opponent | GP | Points | P/GP |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 20 | 38 | 1.90 |
| Nashville Predators | 27 | 51 | 1.89 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 19 | 36 | 1.89 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 18 | 34 | 1.89 |
| Washington Capitals | 17 | 32 | 1.88 |
Surprisingly, none of McDavid’s five highest points-per-game averages have come against Pacific Division opponents.
Instead, Columbus leads the way. McDavid has recorded 38 points in just 20 meetings with the Blue Jackets, averaging 1.90 points per game, well above his overall career average of 1.54 through 2025–26.
What’s particularly remarkable is how closely the remaining teams are grouped. Nashville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington all fall between 1.88 and 1.89 points per game. While Columbus narrowly takes the top spot, McDavid’s success isn’t limited to one particularly favourable matchup.
Leon Draisaitl
| Opponent | GP | Points | P/GP |
| Seattle Kraken | 15 | 34 | 2.27 |
| Nashville Predators | 32 | 55 | 1.72 |
| Ottawa Senators | 28 | 44 | 1.57 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 29 | 44 | 1.52 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 38 | 55 | 1.45 |
By comparison, Draisaitl’s biggest outlier is Seattle, and it isn’t particularly close.
In just 15 meetings with the Kraken, he’s recorded 34 points, averaging an impressive 2.27 per game. That’s more than a full point above his overall career average of 1.23 through 2025–26.
Even more interesting? Of those 34 points, 26 have come from assists. While Nashville has brought out Draisaitl’s goal-scoring touch, Seattle has been particularly vulnerable to his playmaking.
The contrast is striking. Vancouver and Calgary may lead in total production, but Columbus and Seattle have brought out the highest scoring rates from Edmonton’s two superstars.
Do McDavid and Draisaitl dominate the same Teams?
Despite their individual differences, McDavid and Draisaitl share several favourite opponents.
Calgary, Vancouver, Anaheim, and Winnipeg all appear in both players’ top-five career points rankings through 2025–26. And when their production is combined, the Battle of Alberta takes on an entirely different meaning.
| Opponent | McDavid Points | Draisaitl Points | Combined |
| Calgary Flames | 67 | 71 | 138 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 75 | 62 | 137 |
| Anaheim Ducks | 62 | 55 | 117 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 64 | 46 | 110 |
Together, their numbers put Calgary narrowly at the top, with McDrai combining for 138 career points against the Flames. Vancouver trails by just one point, followed by Anaheim and Winnipeg.
What’s particularly interesting is how differently the two players have contributed to those totals.
Against Calgary, their production is nearly identical, with Draisaitl holding a slight 71–67 advantage. Meanwhile, McDavid has done more of the damage against Vancouver, contributing 75 of their 137 combined points.
But their most productive opponents aren’t always shared.
Nashville is the only team appearing in both players’ top-five points-per-game rankings. McDavid has collected 51 points in 27 meetings, while Draisaitl has recorded 55 in 32 games.
The Predators have therefore surrendered 106 combined points to the duo, making them an especially interesting opponent despite falling outside their four highest combined point totals.
Some teams have consistently struggled against both players, while others seem to bring out something extra in one or the other.
Is history repeating itself in 2026–27?
Historical success doesn’t guarantee another big night, but the early stages of 2026–27 suggest some of McDrai’s favourite opponents are still having trouble containing them.
So far, Vancouver is the clearest example. Across three meetings with the Canucks, McDavid has recorded 10 points and Draisaitl has added seven, including four goals. That’s 17 combined points against a team that already ranked among their highest-scoring historical matchups.
Anaheim hasn’t fared much better. In two meetings with the Ducks, the duo has combined for another 13 points, continuing a trend established over their careers.
Calgary, however, has offered a different result. Despite ranking among their highest career point totals, the October 28 Battle of Alberta saw McDavid collect two assists while Draisaitl was held off the scoresheet.
How they’ve performed against familiar opponents in 2026–27
| Opponent | Games | McDavid G–P | Draisaitl G–P | Combined points |
| Vancouver | 3 | 1–10 | 4–7 | 17 |
| Anaheim | 2 | 2–7 | 1–6 | 13 |
| Utah | 2 | 2–6 | 2–3 | 9 |
| Los Angeles | 1 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 6 |
| Calgary | 1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2 |
| Seattle | 1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3 |
G–P = goals and points. Regular-season statistics through November 7, 2026. These figures are separate from the historical rankings.
The early results have largely followed the historical pattern against Vancouver and Anaheim. Calgary, however, serves as a reminder that even their most familiar matchups don’t always produce the same outcome.
Not all matchups are created equal
Of course, Oilers games rarely lack excitement, especially with McDavid and Draisaitl on the ice. But if history tells us anything, some opponents might have a little more reason to worry when Edmonton comes to town.
Calgary and Vancouver have surrendered the most combined career points to McDrai, but Columbus and Seattle tell a different story. While McDavid has been particularly productive against the Blue Jackets, Draisaitl’s numbers against the Kraken are in a category of their own.
Of course, past performances don’t guarantee future results. But with several of these opponents still on Edmonton’s schedule, fans have a few extra reasons to keep an eye on the scoresheet.
After all, McDrai can make any game interesting. History just suggests some teams have a harder time stopping them than others.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
