Oilers’ Connor McDavid becomes second fastest player in NHL history to reach 100 playoff assists

Of course, the only one who’s done it faster is the great one himself, Wayne Gretzky, who accomplished the feat in 70 games. Gretzky hit the benchmark in the 1985 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with two assists in a Game 5 series win, as the team picked up their second of four Cups in the Gretzky era. Playing in his sixth season with the Oilers, Gretzky set the all-time playoff points record that year with 47 in 18 games played.

No other player even comes close to McDavid and Gretzky’s pace, with Doug Gilmour coming in at third, having hit the marker in 125 games.

With his multi-point effort Thursday night, McDavid now has six goals and 20 assists for 26 points in 16 games played so far. With at least four more games to play, he’s quite shy of Gretzky’s record that he neared with a 42 point tally last year in the playoffs, but he still leads the league at this moment. Right behind him in second is Leon Draisaitl, who has seven goals and 18 assists for 25 points in 16 games alongside McDavid.

Now, McDavid and team are set to go up against their great foes once again, one year after the Panthers last bested them in the Stanley Cup Final. In that seven-game series, McDavid led the Oilers with 11 points, as he carried the team back from a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7, where they unfortunately fell by a slim margin of 2-1.

McDavid picked up the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after that series, but fell short of taking home the ultimate prize. Now with another shot at it, he’s sure to kick things into another gear again, hoping to avoid the same fate they faced last year.