Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers are heading back to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year after a 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 5 on Thursday night.
McDavid has been on a mission ever since the Oilers fell to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final. In these playoffs, he’s racked up six goals, 20 assists, and 26 points through 16 games.
On Thursday night, in that 16th game, the three-time Hart Trophy winner found teammate Corey Perry for the opening goal in the first period.
That assist marked the 100th of McDavid’s playoff career, and the NHL announced shortly after that only one player in history had reached the milestone faster. Wayne Gretzky did it in just 70 games, while McDavid reached it in 90.
“That’s 100 assists for Connor McDavid in the #StanleyCup Playoffs!” the NHL wrote. “Of the 25 other players in NHL history to hit the milestone, only Wayne Gretzky (70 GP) has done so in fewer games.”
The Oilers’ social media team reacted to the announcement with no words but rather a simple repost.
McDavid joined Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov and Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as the only active players to record 100 postseason assists.
This is just another accomplishment that puts McDavid in the same conversation as Wayne Gretzky. He previously broke “The Great One’s” single-postseason assist record, recorded the most power-play points with one franchise, and became the first to post 20 or more points in four straight playoff seasons.
Now, McDavid and the Oilers will get a crack at the Panthers once again in a Stanley Cup Final rematch. Game 1 is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.
