EDMONTON — Connor McDavid has further cemented his legacy in the NHL history books.
The superstar forward scored a goal to record his 1,000th career point and set up Darnell Nurse’s overtime winner for good measure as his Edmonton Oilers defeated the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Thursday.
The moment the fans had been waiting for came when the teams were playing four players per side 2:44 into the second period. Fittingly, it was Leon Draisaitl who fed McDavid on a 2-on-1 break and he ripped a one-timer past Predators goalie Scott Wedgewood for his sixth goal of the season and the 1,000th point of his career. McDavid has notched nine points in his last three games.
“It is a special moment. I said it the other day, this is legendary stuff,” said Draisaitl, who has factored in on 446 of McDavid’s now 1,001 career points. “To witness that and to be a part of it and to have seen him grow up from when he was 18 and we first met him, it is pretty cool, pretty amazing to be a part of.
“I’m very proud of him, very happy for him.”
Playing in his 659th game, McDavid became just the 99th player in NHL history to hit the magical 1,000 points plateau for his career. The Oilers captain became the fourth-fastest player ever to reach the milestone – trailing only Wayne Gretzky (424), Mario Lemieux (513) and Mike Bossy (656). At 27, he also became the fourth-youngest player ever to reach 1,000 points.
“Just seeing the way the players reacted means the world to me. It means everything to me,” McDavid said. “To hear the fans, that stuff means more to me than any of the numbers. It was a really special moment.
“These milestones are a great time to reflect and look back. It’s been a good 10 years and hopefully 10 more good ones.
“Some of these things have kind of hit me a little more emotionally than I would have thought.”
To put the 1,000-point milestone in perspective, McDavid did it in 98 fewer games than Sidney Crosby. The last player to reach 1,000 points was Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares, doing so on Dec. 11, 2023, in his 1,109th game. It only took McDavid 58 games to go from 900 points to 1,000.
Of course, the question came out, can he possibly get to the 2,000-point mark in his career?
“If not him, who else? That is the only question I have,” Draisaitl said. “I never bet against Connor McDavid. I have learned that over the last 10 years. It wouldn’t surprise me.”
Nurse had two goals and an assist and Draisaitl had a pair of assists for the Oilers (9-7-1), who have now earned at least a point in 16 of their last 17 games against Nashville, going 14-1-2 in that span.
It’s pretty cool to be out there and be a part of something that Connor did and worked so hard for,” Nurse said. “As teammates, it’s amazing, it’s amazing what he does every night and it’s cool when he passes these milestones that he gets to celebrate for.”
Calvin Pickard made 21 saves between the pipes for the Oilers.
Michael McCarron and Cole Smith responded for the Predators (5-9-2), who have lost five of their last six.
“I think the one point’s huge,” said Smith, who scored with 2:38 left in the third to eventually send the game to overtime. “I think we’ve got to try to start getting two points here now.
"‘Wedgey’ kept us in it all night, and that was huge for us. To battle back and get at least one (point) is big."
Wedgewood made 31 stops in net for the Predators.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
Shane Jones, The Canadian Press
