EDMONTON, AB – 996, 997, 998, 999... And now, Connor McDavid is just one point away from joining the exclusive 1,000-point club in the NHL.
"Nights like that, I don't want to come off the ice," McDavid said post-game. "That felt good. I thought [Coach Knoblauch] did a great job of giving me lots of opportunities tonight and I felt good. I was lucky to contribute to a big win."
Connor McDavid posted four points on Tuesday night, leaving him only one shy of becoming 99th player and the fourth-fastest in NHL history to reach 1,000 career points after he recorded a goal and three assists in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Islanders at Rogers Place.
"Nothing's happened yet, so I guess maybe I'll save that for when it happens," McDavid said. "But it's not lost on me the speed to get there and the names that are there, and they're a few of the very best. But nothing's happened, and we gotta get ready for another one on Thursday."
The captain set up tallies for Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard in the first & third periods before he scored with 9:41 left in regulation, giving the Oilers a two-goal lead at 3-1 that the Islanders erased with two goals from Anders Lee in the final 10 minutes to force overtime.
McDavid connected with Draisaitl 1:52 into the extra frame, setting the German up for the overtime-winner that ties him for the League lead with 12 goals alongside Montreal's Cole Caufield and Florida's Sam Reinhart. Draisaitl has recorded multi-point efforts in five of his last eight games and has ten goals and 16 points over his last 11 contests.
"You gotta be careful with things like that because this league can humble you so goddamn quick, it's scary," Draisaitl said. "So I've been around long enough to understand that there are phases of it going well and it going ice cold, and I feel good. I feel like I'm playing well. I'm creating chances. Obviously, they're going in right now, but I'm very well aware that it can change in a hurry. I'm just going to continue to chip away at it."
Evan Bouchard had a goal and two assists, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Mattias Ekholm each picked up helpers in the win that lifted Edmonton's overall record to 8-7-1 this season. Stuart Skinner made 19 saves on 22 shots between the pipes for Edmonton to secure his fifth victory of the campaign.
Next up, the Oilers will meet the Nashville Predators on Thursday night at Rogers Place for the third and final time this season.