With one point when the Oilers host the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVAS, SNW, TSN3), McDavid would reach 500 in his 369th NHL game, the same number as Crosby.
"I think that's pretty cool," McDavid said Tuesday. "He is a guy that I grew up watching. He's done a couple of other things that I'm trying to do with all his [Stanley] Cups and all that stuff."
McDavid can become the 20th NHL player to score 500 points in 400 games or fewer, and if he gets there Wednesday he would tie Crosby for eighth-fastest. Wayne Gretzky is first, reaching 500 points in 234 games, and Mario Lemieux is second at 287 games.
McDavid also would be the 21st NHL player, and third active, with Crosby and Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, to score 500 points prior to his 25th birthday. (Ovechkin scored 500 points in 373 games.)
McDavid leads the NHL with 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 17 games this season. The 24-year-old center has scored at least 100 points in three of the past four seasons, and scored 97 points (34 goals, 63 assists) in 64 games last season before play was paused due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
Through 368 games, McDavid has scored 499 points (171 goals, 328 assists), 133 even-strength goals, 341 even-strength points, 35 power-play goals, three shorthanded goals, eight overtime goals, 36 game-winning goals, and has a 14.9 percent shooting percentage.
Through Crosby's first 368 games, he scored 497 points (180 goals, 317 assists), 123 even-strength goals, 284 even-strength points, 55 power-play goals, two shorthanded goals, five overtime goals, 21 game-winning goals, and had a 14.7 percent shooting percentage.
Crosby has scored 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 13 games this season. The 33-year-old has scored 1,275 points (467 goals, 808 assists) in 997 games and won the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017).
"He's been so successful in this league and has done everything that I want to do," McDavid said. "He's a great guy to follow. He's kind of done everything he's set his mind to. He wanted to get better in face-offs and he's done that, he wanted to score more goals and he did that. I think there is definitely lots of lessons in his game because his game has changed over the years and he does whatever he can to be successful."
