McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers center, leads the NHL with 105 points (44 goals, 61 assists) in 58 games this season, averaging 1.81 points per game entering a matchup against Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, SNW, TVAS, ATTSN-PT, ESPN+, SN NOW).
"I think 120 [points] seemed like a crazy number at one point. Now it looks like he's going to cruise to that," Crosby, the Penguins captain, said Wednesday. "He's finding a way every year to get better when you don't think it's possible. That's not a knock on him. He's just setting the bar really high. He continues to push it."
At 35 years old, Crosby hasn't slowed much, if at all, with 68 points (25 goals, 43 assists) in 56 games. But the center has scored more than McDavid's 105 points only twice in 18 NHL seasons (120 in 2006-07 and 109 in 2009-10).
Crosby had a similar stretch to McDavid's across three seasons beginning in 2010, having 159 points (55 goals, 104 assists) in 99 games and averaging 1.61 points per game. Injuries interrupted Crosby, though, starting with a concussion that ended his 2010-11 season Jan. 5 after 41 games.
Before the concussion, Crosby had 66 points (32 goals, 34 assists) in 2010-11, and 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists) in 22 games the following season. He had 56 points (15 goals, 41 assists) in 36 games during a shortened 2012-13 season.
McDavid, 26, has 802 points (283 goals, 519 assists) in 545 games through his eight seasons, an average of 1.47 per game. Through his first eight seasons, Crosby had 665 points (238 goals, 427 assists) in 470 games, an average of 1.41 per game.
McDavid has 20 more points than teammate Leon Draisaitl, who ranks second in the NHL with 85 points this season.
"I think that says a lot about him," Crosby said of McDavid. "Credit to his work ethic and not being satisfied trying to be his absolute best."
Crosby and McDavid, each arguably the defining superstar of his generation, meet at an interesting time for the Penguins, who have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a League-high 16 straight seasons.
Pittsburgh (27-20-9) is one point behind the Florida Panthers for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. It is fifth in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the New York Islanders for fourth.
The Penguins have allowed 14 goals during their three-game losing streak and at least four goals in four of their past five games.
Edmonton (31-19-8) is 1-0-3 in its past four games but has scored 17 goals in that span. McDavid scored twice and had an assist in a 4-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday after going without a goal in four straight games, when he had five assists.
"I just think we need to dictate the terms," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "When you play offensive players that are elite, like [the Oilers], the less they have the puck, it gives us a better chance to have success. When they have the puck, we have to have an awareness, we have to play with a structure.
"We have to trust the structure and we've got to trust our teammates. It has to be collective effort. … It's collective effort against elite players."
McDavid has the Penguins approaching the game Thursday slightly differently, Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang said.
"He's dangerous every time he steps on the ice," Letang said of McDavid. "Often, you prepare for a game like this and you talk about their team. But I think we're going to spend a little bit more time on certain individuals. … Every time he's on the ice, you have to pay extra attention."
The preparation likely won't be straightforward because of the complexity that comes with McDavid, who needs one more goal to set an NHL career high after also scoring 44 goals last season.
When asked what part of McDavid's game is particularly effective, Crosby said, "I'd say more than one. I'd say his speed, but there are a lot of guys that have speed. It's the way he uses it. It's his hockey sense, his ability to make plays, shoot the puck.
"I mean, he's scoring a ton of goals this year, so you can tell that he's focused on shooting the puck as well. He's dangerous in a lot of different ways."
