Connor McDavid has history at his fingertips
Many Connor McDavid stats sound outrageous and defy belief. One of those stats spread online ahead of his return to the Stanley Cup Final: He's tallied multiple points in a majority of his career playoff games.
McDavid's dominant multi-point efforts (47) outnumber his one-point games (24) and quiet scoreless outings (20) through the start of the championship series, which opened Wednesday with a 4-3 Oilers overtime win. Edmonton's captain constantly finds a way to produce when he faces strong teams, tenacious defenders hound him, millions of fans tune in, and glory's attainable.
Being able to score at will in the playoffs helped him shoot up the career leaderboard. McDavid's about to rocket into the all-time top 30, reserved for players with over 150 points, in fewer than 100 appearances.
The awesome ratio reflects he's one of one. He could erupt and only require a little help to deliver the Oilers' first Cup since the Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier years.
Numbers on a page are static, but the history at McDavid's fingertips is living and breathing. He grasped it earlier this year with his golden 4 Nations Face-Off winner. He battled through Roope Hintz's desperate backcheck for a series-clinching breakaway goal in the conference finals that stole the Dallas Stars' momentum and sucked the air out of a hostile building.
Wednesday's dramatic first clash with the Florida Panthers was one of those rare subdued nights for McDavid - for about 45 minutes. He snuck the game-tying assist over several sticks into Mattias Ekholm's wheelhouse in the third period. After gaining the zone in overtime at his usual warp speed, he saucered a similar feed to Leon Draisaitl to complete a beautiful passing sequence started by Corey Perry.
Game 1 was tense but highly positive for the Oilers. With Ekholm's goal, they became the third NHL team this century and ninth overall with 20 different playoff scorers, according to Stathead. They quadrupled their scoring total from Games 1-2 of last year's Cup Final while cementing their third multi-goal comeback win, the most in any postseason since 2020.
McDavid's menacing moments excited the home crowd. He led Oilers forwards in penalty-killing ice time and almost made the most of the assignment when he rung the crossbar on a shorthanded rush. Later, he strolled from the corner to the net and nearly flipped the puck over the shrugged shoulder of Sergei Bobrovsky, whose 42 saves went to waste.
He set up Ekholm at the end of a lengthy shift by staying on the ice for longer than Aleksander Barkov, McDavid's Selke Trophy-winning shadow, who went to the bench and watched him walk around lesser defensive forwards. McDavid's assists offset a pair of goals from Florida center Sam Bennett, a childhood friend who's emerged as the postseason's top sniper and chief nuisance.
As a result, the Oilers won't trail 3-0 like last year and don't face an immediate series deficit. Weak defensive efforts led to Game 1 losses against the Kings and Stars. Gaining control of this matchup forces Florida to demand more offense from Barkov's line along with stingier play from Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling, who uncharacteristically left shooters open on Edmonton's first two goals.
There are huge milestones in McDavid's future. He's eligible to sign a record extension with the Oilers on July 1 or walk to unrestricted free agency next summer. The 4 Nations deliciously teased McDavid's Olympic debut, which is coming in 2026 and should be an unforgettable spectacle.
Winning the Cup is the current mission. McDavid downplayed his journey's similarities to those of Gretzky and Sidney Crosby, but the comparison is irresistible: Both Canadian legends won their first championship in a rematch with a powerful rival. If history repeats itself, McDavid won't be denied.
Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.