McDavid’s season-opening point streak hits 21, Oilers blank Maple Leafs

TORONTO -- Connor McDavid had an assist to extend his season-opening point streak to 21 games, and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 1-0 at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

McDavid leads the NHL in scoring with 50 points (11 goals, 39 assists) in 21 games, remaining on pace for 200 points over the full season. He became the fifth different player in NHL history to reach 50 points in 21 games or fewer, joining Wayne Gretzky (three times), Mario Lemieux (three times), Bernie Nicholls and Mike Bossy.

“That’s pretty good company,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said of McDavid. “Not really (do I have the words to put it into perspective), I’ve seen it for so long and he always finds another level to get to. It’s like the older he gets, the more he figures out the game a little bit. It’s hard to wrap your mind around, but he is driving it for us every night. It’s his work on and off the ice that comes first and the points follow that.”

Devon Levi made 19 saves for his first NHL shutout, and Evan Bouchard scored the lone goal for the Oilers (15-3-3), who won their fourth straight and are 10-2-2 in their past 14.

“It feels good, super special,” Levi said. “Since I was a kid, I was thinking about getting a shutout in the NHL, so I’m just soaking it in. The guys played unbelievable tonight. I don’t know how many shots I saw in the third, but we really locked it down. That’s just like a textbook win right there.”

Anthony Stolarz made 22 saves for the Maple Leafs (8-12-2), who went winless during a six-game homestand, losing each game in regulation while being outscored 23-9.

“It’s difficult because I can’t just go and tell you all these good things and then we get on the wrong side of it again, so that’s the hard part,” Toronto coach Jim Hiller said. “The guys played their tail off, they did, so I don’t think anybody is going to question that. I’d like to see them get rewarded for that, I really would. It is what it is, you write your stories. But I’m here to tell you we deserved better than that through this six-game homestand, but we didn’t, so we will move on to the next one.”

Bouchard gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 15:34 of the second period when he took a backhand pass from McDavid at the point and beat Stolarz glove side with a slap shot.

“All you’ve got to do is look at the rinks when he’s there, they’re full, so obviously there’s lots of fans there,” Babcock said of McDavid’s start to the season. “I see McDavid jerseys all over the place, so there’s a great appreciation that way. But to understand how committed and how talented and how hard you have to work and how special you have to be, that’s another level. Being a superstar is one thing, and being in that next level is something else, so good for him.”

John Tavares appeared to tie it for Toronto 1:00 into the third period, but the goal was disallowed after video review confirmed Tavares deflected the puck with his stick above the crossbar.

“You’re just hoping it’s a good goal, felt pretty good about it when it went in and during the (review) process,” Tavares said.

Levi said he expected the goal to be overturned right away.

“I saw the tip and it went over my head, and I thought there’s no way the puck should be going over my head like that,” Levi said. “I knew it was a high stick. I was surprised how long it took to review, so it must have been close, but I had a pretty good feeling.”

The Maple Leafs were unable to score over the final 1:48 after pulling Stolarz for the extra attacker. Auston Matthews had a chance alone in the slot with four seconds left but shot wide before Nugent-Hopkins blocked to jam shots from William Nylander.

“I saw Matthews in the slot with the puck and I was like, ‘Bring it on,’” Levi said. “You’ve got to love it. As a goalie, you always want an opportunity to make a key save at a big moment. That’s why I’m there.”

NOTES: McDavid is one game away from tying Dany Heatley (22 games in 2005-06) for the fifth-longest season-opening point streak in NHL history. … Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl had an assist to extend his point streak to eight games (six goals, eight assists). … It was Oilers coach Mike Babcock's first game in Toronto since being fired as Maple Leafs coach on Nov. 20, 2019. … Levi improved to 9-1-0 in 2026-27 and in his career with the Oilers. He has posted the best 10-game start to a career with Edmonton in franchise history and has recorded two more wins than the next closest (Calvin Pickard: 7-2-0 in 2023-24, and Ron Low: 7-2-1 in 1979-80).