Connor McDavid joined an elite group with a 100-assist season as the Edmonton Oilers obliterated the San Jose Sharks 9-2 Monday night at Rogers Place.
“I’m just thankful for my teammates and the staff here in Edmonton,” McDavid said after the game.
“It’s been a different type of year, but everybody’s stuck with it and put ourselves in a good spot heading into when it matters most.”
“It’s exciting for us to be a part of it — to get to see him on a day-to-day basis,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said.
“It’s not just in a game, it’s in a practice — dominating every practice and pushing us to get better and to work harder and translate it to the game.”
After missing the last three games with an injury, it took McDavid only 53 seconds to find the scoresheet. He blazed down the left side and saw his pass go in off the skate of Sharks defender Marc-Edouard Vlasic for his 32nd of the season.
Oilers forward Adam Henrique tallied his 24th after he won a faceoff and went to the net to deposit the rebound of Brett Kulak’s point shot.
With 9:20 left in the first, Oilers winger Warren Foegele beat Sharks netminder Devin Cooley on a two-on-one to make it 3-0 Oilers.
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Henrique set up Dylan Holloway for a fourth Oilers goal in the final minute of the first.
San Jose’s Daniel Guschin snuck a backhand past Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner early in the second, but it did little to deter the Oilers onslaught.
Foegele tallied his second of the night, then Corey Perry, Cody Ceci and Evan Bouchard teamed up to score three goals in 3:38.
“I thought our team skated really well and played with a lot of speed,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said.
“We’re happy that Connor hit that milestone — that’s the biggest thing — but it’s nice to see those depth guys get some offence too.”
With 4:25 to go in the second, McDavid moved in down the left wing and fed a streaking Zach Hyman, who flicked in his 54th goal to give McDavid 100 assists on the season.
“It’s special to be a part of that moment,” Hyman said. “We’ve scored that type of goal a bunch this year, so it’s fitting I guess, that was the way.”
“Zach and I have played lots together and he’s had such an incredible year,” McDavid added. “We’ve both benefited from playing with each other, so I guess it was fitting.
“It’s not something you set out to do,” McDavid said about his 100-assist season. “It’s just a product of playing with some really good players, playing on a good team and putting in a lot of hard work.”
McDavid joins Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr as the only players to record 100 helpers in an NHL season.
“Those three are three of the greatest to ever play, and to share a little something with them means a lot to me,” McDavid said after the game.
“That’s a historic moment. It’s a milestone only three other guys have gotten to, and those guys are Hall of Fame, once-in-a-lifetime players,” Hyman added.
Fabian Zetterlund scored for San Jose in the third.
The Oilers (49-25-6) will visit the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. You can listen to the game live on 630 CHED, beginning with The Faceoff Show at 6:30 p.m. The actual game starts at 8 p.m.
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