POST-GAME: McDavid marks milestone with marquee performance

LOS ANGELES, CA – Why should game 600 be any different for Connor McDavid?

The Oilers captain marked the career milestone with a quintessential performance Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings, scoring the team's first goal, setting up the equalizer and adding a shootout tally to lead Edmonton to a 3-2 comeback victory – their fourth win in a row in the first meeting between the Pacific Division rivals since their first-round playoff matchup.

Faced with a 2-0 deficit after the opening period that also saw them get outshot 11-2, the Oilers battled back to tie it up in the middle frame, with McDavid leading the charge just as he did countless times during his previous 599 appearances.

The reigning league MVP got the Oilers on the board on the power play 5:35 into the second period, sneaking a shot from the extended goal line off goaltender Cam Talbot's shoulder then mask and under the crossbar for his 13th of the season.

Then, at the 15:29 mark with the teams playing four-on-four, he found his "ride or die" teammate Leon Draisaitl for a one-timer to even the score.

The icing on the 600th-game cake came in the deciding breakaway competition as he beat Talbot with a devastating deke to his forehand, paving the way for Derek Ryan's eventual shootout winner.

"We see it every day. He's an incredibly special player," said Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner, who back-stopped the squad with 26 saves on Saturday and also provided some insight on how McDavid fulfills his captain's duties off the ice.

"I really like how he's been leading us. I think that's something that isn't thrown out there a ton, the way that he is in the room with the guys. I think that's a big part of the reason why he is the way that he is, so there's a lot more to his greatness."

The Draisaitl setup was the 581st helper of McDavid's career, pushing him past Peter Stastny for fourth all-time in assists through 600 NHL games, trailing only Wayne Gretzky (925), Mario Lemieux (721) and Bobby Orr (591).

"Any time you're mentioned with those guys, you're doing something right," McDavid said. "Those are three of the game's very best, so to be with that company obviously means a lot to me. It's not lost on me what that means, and it's a special group."

His 316 career goals give him 897 career points in 600 games, which is the fifth most all-time at that juncture behind Gretzky (1,451), Lemieux (1,215), Mike Bossy (921) and Stastny (901).