McDavid Mania

What’s Happening: Connor McDavid is on a tear.

Through the first five games of this season, McDavid has 6 Goals and 7 Assists for 13 Points. That puts him at a rate of 1.2 Goals and 2.6 Points per Game. It’s important to note, though, that more than half of his Points—3 Goals and 4 Assists—have come from Edmonton’s scorching-hot Power Play. Nonetheless, while no one is surprised to see McDavid put up points, this pace is on another level. And on that note, is it his best start yet? How does it compare to his past season starts?

NHL @NHL

6-7—13 in 5 Games Played Connor McDavid (@cmcdavid97) has been putting on a show with the undefeated @EdmontonOilers this season! 📺: 10p ET on @NHL_On_TNT and @Sportsnet

October 27th 2021

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Best Start Yet? Sure is. While McDavid has consistently had hot starts throughout his career, this one is his best. His “slowest” start was in his rookie year, at 3 Goals and 1 Assist through five games. Besides that, year after year, he has started at a pace of more than a point per game. More specifically, his third-best 5-game start had 4 Goals and 7 Assists and his second-best had 4 Goals and 8 Assists. So, while we’ve come to expect McDavid to produce from the get-go, he’s proving that he may have even more in him.

Other Hot Starts: Wondering how McDavid’s hot start compares to some of the highest point-per-game producers of the past? Well, Mike Bossy, 4-time Stanley Cup winner with the New York Islanders and Hall of Famer, had his best 5-game start in 1984, putting up a massive 9 Goals and 9 Assists for 18 Points.

If you thought that was good, Mario Lemieux had his best in 1988, producing 9 Goals and 10 Assists for 19 Points. And believe it or not, Wayne Gretzky never matched either of these, accumulating his best in 1983, with 7 Goals and 8 Assists for 15 Points.

Bottom Line: So, while McDavid’s start isn’t the best ever, it’s certainly amazing and his career points-per-game production is up there with these greats.

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