Top McDavid moment from NHL career debated

Connor McDavid is expected to play in his 500th NHL game when the Edmonton Oilers face the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Monday (8 p.m. ET, SN, TVAS, NBCSWA, ESPN+, SN NOW).

In his first 499 NHL games, the Oilers center has 721 points (251 goals, 470 assists). The 25-year-old has won the Art Ross Trophy, awarded annually to the player who leads the NHL in points, four times, and has won the Hart Trophy, awarded to the League MVP, twice.
But it's more than just numbers and awards. The No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft has provided more highlight-reel plays to count in his NHL career. But which one stands out the most?
We asked a panel of NHL.com writers for their favorite McDavid moment through his first 499 games. Here are their responses.
Never forget your first
McDavid has put up so many highlight-reel goals that it's hard to pick just one. So instead of trying to do that, I just went with No. 1, as in his first career NHL goal. That came against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 14, 2015. For all the razzle-dazzle he has demonstrated throughout his career, this one was pretty basic for him: Oilers defenseman Andrej Sekera shot from a few feet below the blue line and McDavid redirected the shot from the left circle. Much like Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby, McDavid scored his first goal in his third career NHL game. That's incredible company for a player whose greatness has been evident from the start. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Back with a vengeance
I've always admired McDavid's ability to let the puck do the work, releasing it for a split second before retrieving it at just the right moment and weaving his way toward the opposing goalie for that magical moment. He did it against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 2, 2016, to provide a goal I'll never forget. It came in his return to the lineup after missing the previous 37 games because of a fractured left clavicle sustained three months earlier. It was the decisive goal in a 5-1 win and came 9:58 into the second period. McDavid, 19 years old at the time, picked up the puck at center ice, raced into the Columbus zone (releasing the puck for a second after crossing the blue line), split between defensemen Jack Johnson and Justin Falk, and then deked goalie Joonas Korpisalo before sliding the puck into an open net. He received a standing ovation during the goal celebration. "-- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

Helping hand
McDavid's goals get plenty of attention, but his assists are pretty eye-popping, too. One I'll always remember is a helper on a Pat Maroon goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Oct. 19, 2017. McDavid skated toward the Blackhawks goal with speed, drawing defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook to him. McDavid faked a shot, dragged and curled the puck, brought it back to his forehand, did a spin-o-rama, then passed it on the backhand to a wide-open Maroon who tapped it past goalie Anton Forsberg. The goal tied the game 1-1 at 17:18 of the first period. Edmonton won 2-1 in overtime on a Mark Letestu goal, assisted by Oscar Klefbom and McDavid. --William Douglas, staff writer

Winning the Battle
McDavid started shaking his fists as he skated toward the center of the ice. He had just scored an overtime winner, on a shot off the post, a not-infrequent occurrence for the otherworldly star. But this one meant so much more. At 5:03 of overtime in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round on May 26, 2022, McDavid had buried the goal that would send the Oilers into the conference final for the first time since 2006, with a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup. And not only that, he had done it against the Calgary Flames in the latest installment of the Battle of Alberta. Though the Oilers would get swept in the Western Conference Final, it was a step forward for McDavid and the most important goal (so far) of his career. --Amalie Benjamin, staff writer

The joy of six
It was one of those games when everything McDavid touched seemed to turn to gold. By the end of the first period, he had two goals and two assists, and the Oilers had a 4-1 lead on the Colorado Avalanche. McDavid added another goal and an assist in the second period for his second hat trick in three games and the first six-point game of his career in a 6-2 victory at Rogers Place on Nov. 14, 2019. With six points through two periods, it appeared McDavid might be on his way to matching or surpassing Sam Gagner's eight-point game with the Oilers against the Blackhawks on Feb. 2, 2012. But the Oilers took their foot off the gas in the third, with McDavid playing 4:14 and sitting out a power play with a chance to add to his total (Edmonton was 4-for-6 for the game). It was still a memorable night (Leon Draisaitl had five assists) and another chapter in McDavid's growing legend. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

Ranger danger
Even McDavid couldn't believe what he did. That's how good it was, his goal against the New York Rangers on Nov. 5, 2021. The Rangers had a 5-4 lead in the third period, the clock was bleeding down, approaching less than three minutes to play. Edmonton defenseman Tyson Barrie rang a shot off the post and the puck came out to the right point, where McDavid picked it up. Instead of turning back up immediately, he carried the puck into the neutral zone, looked up, reset, waited and then he took off. Dryden Hunt reached out with his stick. McDavid avoided the check. Jacob Trouba reached. McDavid avoided. He dangled outside in on Julien Gauthier. By this point, Kevin Rooney was standing straight-legged behind McDavid, a spectator. Gauthier reached. Too late. McDavid deked forehand-backhand and Alexandar Georgiev had no shot. This was beautiful, McDavid, solo, dangling his way through four Rangers to score. And the look on his face said it all. "I was a little surprised," McDavid said on the NHL @TheRink podcast. "I just tried to make my play. That's what I did." That's all. Extraordinary. Oh, and Edmonton won 6-5 in overtime. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

Believe the hype
My colleagues have many of McDavid's highlights covered, so I'll zoom out and admire his body of work. McDavid faced the highest of expectations even before the Oilers selected him No. 1 in the 2015 NHL Draft. He was hyped as the next generational talent and compared to Crosby. Well, he has lived up to it, maybe even exceeded it, if that's possible. Is there any comparison for McDavid's unique combination of skill and speed? Through 499 NHL regular-season games, he has 721 points. Four times, he has won the scoring title. Three times, he has been voted the most outstanding player by his peers. Twice, he has been voted the most valuable player by the writers, and he has been a finalist for the award twice more. Oh, and in 37 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he has 55 points (21 goals, 34 assists). Sheer dominance, and he's still got a lot more to go.-- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist