Connor McDavid Becomes First NHL Player to 100 Points in 2022-23

Connor McDavid is first in the NHL in points this season by 20. The Edmonton Oilers captain reached 100 points and didn't stop there.

Connor McDavid got to 100 points in 56 games in the NHL this season before anyone else got close.

The Edmonton Oilers captain notched his 100th and 101st points in the first period of Friday night's game against the New York Rangers. The first was an assist on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ power-play goal to make it 1-0 just under eight minutes into the game, while the second was another power-play helper, this time on Leon Draisaitl’s tally to make it 4-1 Oilers.

Draisaitl’s now at 81 points on the season, 20 points behind McDavid. But Draisaitl is second in the NHL in points. McDavid passed 100 before third-place Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning even got to 80 points.

Kucherov’s averaging 1.44 points per game, which is still below McDavid’s 1.49 points per game when he was the first to reach 100 points last season in 67 games. After hitting the mark in 56 games this season, McDavid’s now the fastest and second-fastest active player to get to 100 since he accomplished the feat in 53 games in the shortened 2020-21 campaign.

Only Sidney Crosby has as many 100-point seasons as McDavid’s six occasions among active players in the NHL, and Crosby’s been in the league for 18 seasons compared to McDavid’s eight. And if Crosby isn’t a big-enough name to be compared to, McDavid joins Phil Esposito, Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky as the only ones to be the first players to 100 points at least five times (Lemieux and Esposito with six and the Great One with nine).

No. 97 has already hit a career high in power-play points, reaching 50 on Friday against the Rangers. He’s on pace for 73 power-play points, which would be the most all-time for any NHL player not named Mario Lemieux. The Hall of Famer holds the top four spots in power-play points in a season, with 80 (1987-88), 79 (’88-89 and ’95-96) and 66 (’85-86).

The Edmonton Oilers are amid a tight playoff battle in the Western Conference and Pacific Division. They currently sit at 67 points in 56 games after blowing their three-goal lead and losing 5-4 in a shootout to the Rangers. The Oilers have the first wild-card spot and are now two points behind the Seattle Kraken for third place in the Pacific.