McDavid further cements legacy by reaching 1,000-point mark in Oilers’ win

Connor McDavid has further cemented his bequest successful the NHL past books.

The superstar guardant scored a extremity to grounds his 1,000th vocation constituent and acceptable up Darnell Nurse’s overtime victor for bully measurement arsenic his Edmonton Oilers defeated the Nashville Predators 3-2 connected Thursday.

The infinitesimal the fans had been waiting for came erstwhile the teams were playing 4 players per broadside 2:44 into the 2nd period. Fittingly, it was Leon Draisaitl who fed McDavid connected a 2-on-1 interruption and helium ripped a one-timer past Predators goalie Scott Wedgewood for his sixth extremity of the play and the 1,000th constituent of his career. McDavid has notched 9 points successful his past 3 games.

“It is simply a peculiar moment. I said it the different day, this is legendary stuff,” said Draisaitl, who has factored successful connected 446 of McDavid’s present 1,001 vocation points. “To witnesser that and to beryllium a portion of it and to person seen him turn up from erstwhile helium was 18 and we archetypal met him, it is beauteous cool, beauteous astonishing to beryllium a portion of.

“I’m precise arrogant of him, precise blessed for him.”

Playing successful his 659th game, McDavid became conscionable the 99th subordinate successful NHL past to deed the magical 1,000 points plateau for his career. The Oilers captain became the fourth-fastest subordinate ever to scope the milestone – trailing lone Wayne Gretzky (424), Mario Lemieux (513) and Mike Bossy (656). At 27, helium besides became the fourth-youngest subordinate ever to scope 1,000 points.

“Just seeing the mode the players reacted means the satellite to me. It means everything to me,” McDavid said. “To perceive the fans, that worldly means much to maine than immoderate of the numbers. It was a truly peculiar moment.

“These milestones are a large clip to bespeak and look back. It’s been a bully 10 years and hopefully 10 much bully ones.

“Some of these things person benignant of deed maine a small much emotionally than I would person thought.”

To enactment the 1,000-point milestone successful perspective, McDavid did it successful 98 less games than Sidney Crosby. The past subordinate to scope 1,000 points was Toronto Maple Leafs guardant John Tavares, doing truthful connected Dec. 11, 2023, successful his 1,109th game. It lone took McDavid 58 games to spell from 900 points to 1,000.

Of course, the question came out, tin helium perchance get to the 2,000-point people successful his career?

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“If not him, who else? That is the lone question I have,” Draisaitl said. “I ne'er stake against Connor McDavid. I person learned that implicit the past 10 years. It wouldn’t astonishment me.”

Nurse had 2 goals and an assistance and Draisaitl had a brace of assists for the Oilers (9-7-1), who person present earned astatine slightest a constituent successful 16 of their past 17 games against Nashville, going 14-1-2 successful that span.

It’s beauteous chill to beryllium retired determination and beryllium a portion of thing that Connor did and worked truthful hard for,” Nurse said. “As teammates, it’s amazing, it’s astonishing what helium does each nighttime and it’s chill erstwhile helium passes these milestones that helium gets to observe for.”

Calvin Pickard made 21 saves betwixt the pipes for the Oilers.

Michael McCarron and Cole Smith responded for the Predators (5-9-2), who person mislaid 5 of their past six.

“I deliberation the 1 point’s huge,” said Smith, who scored with 2:38 near successful the 3rd to yet nonstop the crippled to overtime. “I deliberation we’ve got to effort to commencement getting 2 points present now.

“‘Wedgey’ kept america successful it each night, and that was immense for us. To conflict backmost and get astatine slightest 1 (point) is big.”

Wedgewood made 31 stops successful nett for the Predators.