For all the ups and downs, inconsistent play and injuries, the Edmonton Oilers still managed to reach the 100-point barrier thanks to their 3-0 win versus the San Jose Sharks. This marked the fourth consecutive season they broke the century mark and 11th time overall in franchise history.
There were plenty of highlights during the 2024-25 regular season finale, including Stuary Skinner's (much-needed) 18-save shutout, the first multi-point game of Ty Emberson's NHL career and Max Jones' inaugural goal for the Oilers. However, it really comes as no surprise that Connor McDavid was also among the highlights, with a moment which resonated in NHL history.
100 not out for Connor McDavid
McDavid's moment came 8:20 into the first period, as he beautifully set up Emberson with the primary assist for the 1-0 lead on what was the Oilers' first shot attempt. With the helper, the seven-time All-Star reached 100 points for the fifth consecutive season.
There had been some question as to if McDavid would even play on Wednesday night, given that he sat out the previous game against the Los Angeles Kings combined with a concern about him getting injured again. However, he came through unscathed and as a result became just the fourth player in NHL history to accrue eight 100-point seasons.
The 28-year-old is now tied with Marcel Dionne on eight 100-point seasons, behind just Mario Lemieux on 10 and (of course) Wayne Gretzky on 15. Barring a disaster McDavid will at worst be in second place by the time his career ends, with him also having a genuine shot at catching Gretzky.
Oilers are truly lucky to have Connor McDavid
Critics go on about how the 2015 first overall draft pick can't be that great, because he has yet to win a Stanley Cup, but this is an asinine take when you consider hockey is one of the ultimate team sports. It's tough to do what he does, and often make it look so easy.
In this respect, McDavid has only failed to reach the 100-point mark twice in his NHL career to date, and you can argue he should have had at least one more. He had 97 points in 2019-20 when the regular season was cut to 64 games due to the COVID pandemic, while in his rookie year he was averaging more than a point per game in a campaign when he missed 37 games due to injury.
Of course this is not about what you could have done but rather what you have done, and that's still pretty damn special when it comes to the Oilers superstar. As per Jamie Umbach of NHL.com, Skinner said: "Amazing. I mean, he's the best player in the world for a reason, right? Being able to get 100, it's just milestone after milestone for that guy. He's obviously a legend and a great leader, so what else is there to say? He's 97, the captain and the best player in the world."
McDavid proved he was the best player in the world during the playoffs last season and he will need to be on a similar level this time around, if the Oilers are to return to the Stanley Cup Final. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but we do feel extremely confident that Wednesday won't be the last time he leaves his mark on NHL history, as he continues to grow his Hall of Fame-level resume.
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