Can Oilers’ McDavid Reach 1,000 Points Tonight vs. Islanders?

   

Connor McDavid is just five points away from reaching 1,000 in his remarkable NHL career as he enters Tuesday night’s game against the New York Islanders. If he manages a five-point performance, McDavid will become the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to hit the milestone, achieving it in 658 games. It’s not an unheard-of feat to score that much in the last game before reaching 1000. Wayne Gretzky had a six-point night to do it when he reached the milestone.

Only Gretzky (424 games), Mario Lemieux (513 games), and Mike Bossy (656 games) have done it faster than McDavid will do it.

Leon Draisaitl, McDavid’s long-time linemate and fellow superstar, praised his friend ahead of Tuesday’s game. “In my eyes, there’s never been a player like him, especially in the modern era. No player has created chances the way he does at the speed and consistency that he has over 10 years.”

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch also emphasized the magnitude of McDavid’s impending milestone. “For him to reach that at this point in his career, given how NHL scoring has been since he entered the league, it’s absolutely remarkable,” Knoblauch stated.

Can the Oilers Have Another Big Night Offensive So McDavid Gets There?

The Oilers stung the Vancouver Canucks for seven goals in a recent win, but on Tuesday they’ll be facing Ilya Sorokin. He’s not an easy netminder to get five goals on. The possibility of McDavid delivering a five-point explosion is not out of the question as he had three versus the Canucks.

So too, McDavid has recorded five or more points in a single game 16 times throughout his career.

Can McDavid make history tonight? With his unique ability to take over games when motivated, the Oilers captain is poised to deliver another iconic performance.

The Oilers’ Lineup vs. the Islanders:

Forwards

Jeff Skinner – Connor McDavid – Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin – Leon Draisaitl – Viktor Arvidsson
Adam Henrique – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Connor Brown
Mattias Janmark – Derek Ryan – Corey Perry

Defence

Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse – Troy Stecher
Brett Kulak – Ty Emberson

Goalies

Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard