Stanley Cup: Connor McDavid and historical significance of his 2024 NHL playoff run

Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid is having one of the most productive postseasons in NHL history. A look at his numbers and their historical significance:

Points, one postseason

McDavid is among the absolute best to ever play, and a record that has stood for almost 40 years is within his reach.

McDavid has 42 points so far in these playoffs. The only players with more: Wayne Gretzky with 47 in 1985, Mario Lemieux with 44 in 1991 and Gretzky again with 43 in 1988.

Assists, one postseason

No one has more in NHL history. McDavid has scored 34 goals so far in these playoffs, breaking the record of 31 assists set by Gretzky in 1988. Gretzky also had 30 assists in 1985.

Back to back

McDavid had four points (1-3-4) in Game 4 against Florida, then did it again (2-2-4) in Game 5. He became the first player in Stanley Cup Final history with consecutive four-point games.

Ever.

The only player with three points in three consecutive games in the same title series is Paul Coffey, the great Paul Coffey (and now assistant coach), who did it in 1985. Montreal’s Newsy Lalonde is the only other player with such a streak, sort of: he had three points in three consecutive finals games in the 1918 and 1919 seasons.

Most points, 2-game span

Not only is McDavid the first with consecutive four-point games in the Stanley Cup Final, he is also the first with eight points in a two-game span in the same series.

There are seven players – Lemieux in 1991, Gretzky in 1988, Coffey in 1985, Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay in 1955, Syl Apps in 1942 and Lalonde in 1919 – who scored seven points in a two-game span in the finals.

They’re all looking at McDavid on that list now.

4 out of 4

McDavid is the first player to have four different four-point games in a single Stanley Cup playoff season since the Oilers’ glory days of the 1980s.

Gretzky had six four-point games in the 1985 playoffs, while Coffey and Jari Kurri played four games that same year. Mark Messier had four such games in the 1988 playoffs.

No one had done it before or since until McDavid this year. And all five of those players did it in an Oilers jersey.

Most since Lemieux

McDavid has a career-high 174 points in 99 games so far this season, the most by anyone in a single NHL season since Lemieux had 188 points in 1995-96.

McDavid scored 173 points in 94 games last season. This will be the fourth straight season he has led the NHL in points, taking into account both regular season and postseason games.

No one has had such a long streak since – you guessed it – Gretzky, who topped the all-season scoring charts for nine consecutive seasons, from 1979-80 (when he was tied with Marcel Dionne) through 1987-88.

The 174 points rank 14th in a season; Mike Bossy had that many in 1981-82. The only players with more than 174 points are — again, you guessed it — Gretzky (who did it ten times, with a career-best 255 points in 1984-85) and Lemieux (who did it three times, with a career-best in 1984-1985) 218 ​​points in 1988-1989).

Its impact

It’s pretty simple: If McDavid gets a point, the Oilers are probably going to win.

He scored at least one goal or assist in 82 games this season; the Oilers have won 59 of those games – a rate of 72%.

He has already played seventeen games without a point this season; the Oilers have won three of those games – a rate of 18%.