McDavid talks 70 goals, Oilers playoff push with NHL.com

EDMONTON -- Can Connor McDavid reach the prestigious 70-goal mark with three weeks remaining in the NHL regular season?

Even after failing to score in the Edmonton Oilers' 5-4 win at the Arizona Coyotes on Monday, the 26-year-old has been on a torrid pace, scoring 18 goals in his past 17 games. With eight games still remaining, he has a chance to reach that milestone and become the first player to score at least 70 goals in a season since 1992-93, when Alexander Mogilny (Buffalo Sabres) and Teemu Selanne (Winnipeg Jets) each had 76.
McDavid leads the NHL in goals (60), assists (80) and points (140) in 74 games.
For his part, the Oilers captain isn't ruling out the possibility of reaching such a prestigious milestone, although he insists team success remains his top priority.
"I mean, sure, nothing's impossible," McDavid told NHL.com Friday, breaking into a chuckle. "You know, obviously, you need to go on a big run and certainly anything is possible.
"Again, is it something that I'm going to be looking for or pressing for? Probably not. I mean, it's more important how our team is playing heading into the playoffs. That's the most important thing, the thing we work all season for."

Edmonton (42-23-9) is third in the Pacific Division with 93 points, five behind the division-leading Golden Knights and three behind the second-place Los Angeles Kings. Vegas and Los Angeles each has a game in hand on Edmonton.
The Oilers were swept in four games by the Colorado Avalanche in Western Conference Final last season, the furthest McDavid has gone in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in seven previous NHL seasons.
One aspect that seems to be in favor of McDavid's quest for 70 goals, reluctant or not, is the scheduIe.
Four of Edmonton's final eight games are against the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, who have each been eliminated from playoff contention.
McDavid hit the 60-goal plateau when he scored twice in Edmonton's 4-3 overtime victory against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday and became only the fourth active player to reach that total, joining Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs (60 in 2021-22), Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning (60 in 2011-12) and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (65 in 2007-08). In reaching 60 goals in 72 games, he's the fastest player to reach the milestone since Mario Lemieux scored 60 goals in 70 games in 1987-88.
Though McDavid is notorious for shunning individual honors in favor of team goals, he said he understands what reaching 60 goals means.
"I mean, I'm not naive. I know that 60 is a big number and certainly that not a lot of guys have done it," he said. "And I'm not naive enough that I don't know where I sit in terms of, you know, I guess, a little bit of the history of the game and stuff like that. I do. So it's something I for sure am aware of.
"But that's not what I'm after. Obviously we're after a chance to win. We're after something much bigger than any one person or any one award or anything like that."