EDMONTON, Alberta — Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, two of the most dynamic players in modern hockey, have carved their names into the NHL record books, recently surpassing even the legendary Edmonton Oilers duo of Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky in a specific playoff achievement. While Gretzky (382 points in 208 games) and Messier (295 points in 236 games) remain the top two all-time playoff scorers, McDavid and Draisaitl are quickly ascending the ranks.
Messier, acknowledging their talent, described McDavid and Draisaitl as “the best players of their generation.” This praise comes as the current Oilers stars reached a new milestone: Game 2 of the recent Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers marked the 29th time both McDavid (with three assists) and Draisaitl (with a goal and an assist) recorded multiple points in the same postseason game. This feat edges out the 28 such games achieved by Gretzky and Messier during their time together.
The contemporary duo is now just one game shy of matching Gretzky and Glenn Anderson for the second-most multi-point playoff games by a pair of teammates. However, catching the record held by Gretzky and linemate Jari Kurri (44 games) will require sustained success.
Messier expressed wonder at Edmonton`s continued fortune in having elite players. “It`s actually unbelievable for a franchise like Edmonton to have had the teams and the players that have come through there,” he commented. “There are NHL teams that have been around forever and never had a Bobby Orr or Mario Lemieux. For a team that had Gretzky to now have McDavid and Draisaitl is unbelievable.”
Messier himself was a prolific scorer, ranking third in NHL history with 1,887 career points. He and Gretzky were the driving force behind the Oilers dynasty, winning four Stanley Cups together before Messier secured a fifth after Gretzky`s trade. In playoff scoring for the Oilers franchise, Gretzky leads (252 points), followed by Messier (215). McDavid currently sits fifth (148 points in 92 games), and Draisaitl is sixth (137 in 92 games).
McDavid and Draisaitl surpassing a record set by Gretzky and Messier feels fitting. Both pairs featured first and second-line centers for the Oilers, and all four players have won NHL MVP awards. The modern-day stars are striving to bring the Stanley Cup back to Edmonton for the first time since the dynasty era ended in 1990.
“They`ve been in this organization for a long time now. Two of the best players in the world. Everyone knows how much they mean to the Oilers,” said Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, who grew up an Edmonton fan.
Draisaitl joined the Oilers as the third overall pick in 2014, behind defenseman Aaron Ekblad and center Sam Reinhart, both now with the Panthers. McDavid was the highly anticipated first overall selection in 2015 after the Oilers won the draft lottery.
The duo led the Oilers to the Western Conference Final last season, ultimately losing to the Vegas Golden Knights. This postseason, McDavid leads the playoffs with 31 points, while Draisaitl is second with 29 points.
Draisaitl has achieved 10 or more goals in three consecutive postseasons, joining an elite group that includes New York Islanders legend Mike Bossy (four from 1980-1983) and Gretzky (three from 1983-1985).
This marks McDavid`s third postseason with 30 or more points, tying him with Messier for second all-time, behind Gretzky`s six. If Draisaitl reaches 30 points this postseason, it will also be his third such performance. Draisaitl`s next point would also set a new NHL record for him and McDavid, as no other teammates in Stanley Cup playoffs history have recorded back-to-back 30-point postseasons.
Not even Gretzky and Messier.
“I think Oilers fans appreciate it because of the 1980s and then the long drought and now what they have with McDavid and Draisaitl,” Messier stated. “There`s appreciation of their drive, work ethic, talent and determination to be the best. They`ve shown every one of those attributes.”
At the end of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals this year, after the Dallas Stars` dramatic comeback win, Draisaitl and McDavid shared a brief, simultaneous glance on the Oilers bench. This moment gained traction online, dubbed “The Look,” and became a point of reference for fans.
Online, fans marked time relative to “The Look,” noting everything that transpired before and the Oilers` subsequent performance. Following that moment, Edmonton won the next four games against Dallas by a combined score of 19-5, and then secured Game 1 of the Final.
While the internet attached significant meaning to this brief exchange, McDavid mentioned he didn`t specifically recall the moment. However, he confirmed that over their years playing together, he and Draisaitl have developed a near-telepathic understanding.
“I think we`ve definitely developed a sense of understanding what the other one`s thinking in any given moment,” he said. “Sometimes, yeah, all it takes is a look to know what`s going on.”
The offensive production generated when McDavid and Draisaitl are on the ice together certainly hints at an extraordinary connection between them.
Heading into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, McDavid and Draisaitl have combined to factor on the same goal 73 times in the playoffs. Only three duos in NHL history have achieved this more often:
- Gretzky and Kurri (132)
- Anderson and Messier (86)
- Bossy and Bryan Trottier (85)
Over the past two postseasons (43 games), the Oilers have scored 21 goals at 5-on-5 with both McDavid and Draisaitl on the ice, averaging 4.4 goals per 60 minutes. When neither player is on the ice at 5-on-5 during this period, the team`s scoring rate drops to 2.03 goals per 60 minutes. It`s worth noting that this season`s supporting cast has improved that rate to 2.71 goals per 60 in the team`s last 18 games.
In the current postseason, McDavid and Draisaitl boast an expected goals rate of 66.4% when together at 5-on-5. In contrast, the rest of the Oilers team achieves 49.6% of the expected goals when neither star is on the ice, according to statistics.
Unlike McDavid and Draisaitl who frequently play on the same line, Messier and Gretzky were primarily deployed separately during their time in Edmonton.
“No, we played on separate lines for the most part. The power play, at times, but not all the time,” Messier recalled. “I centered the second line, and it was one of the reasons why we became so hard to play against.”
Coach Kris Knoblauch this postseason has not hesitated to use the “nuclear option,” uniting his two top offensive players on the same line, as McDavid and Draisaitl have played 167:04 together at 5-on-5 across 18 games. This is more time than McDavid (158:43) and Draisaitl (150:06) have spent away from each other at 5-on-5.
“We`ve done it throughout the playoffs, and they have just gone off and scored at a tremendous, tremendous rate,” Knoblauch noted.
However, the coach is also mindful of the strategic implications when Draisaitl shifts to McDavid`s wing.
“Leon playing center just spreads out our scoring a little bit. It also gets him in the game a little bit more. He`s skating and involved,” Knoblauch explained. “I think it also allows the rest of our team knowing that they`ve got a role, they`ve got to play well and we`re not just relying on this one line that it`s going to do all the work.”
Unsurprisingly, the Oilers heavily rely on McDavid and Draisaitl together on the power play. Over the past two postseasons (43 games), Edmonton has scored 34 power-play goals with both players on the ice. In contrast, they have scored just once on the power play without both McDavid and Draisaitl present in the past two postseasons.
Draisaitl has accumulated 22 career power-play goals in 92 playoff games, placing him 29th all-time. Only Hockey Hall of Fame winger Cam Neely had more (25 in 93 games) among players with fewer than 100 career postseason games. Draisaitl is one power-play goal away from tying Gretzky (23) for the most in Oilers playoff history; Gretzky required 120 games to reach that total.
Much like Alex Ovechkin has his designated “Ovi Spot” on the power play, Draisaitl has his “Drai Island.” Since one-timer locations began being tracked in 2016-17 (regular season and playoffs combined), Draisaitl has scored 73 goals from the right circle with a one-timer. The next closest player is Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov with 44.
McDavid remains one of Draisaitl`s staunchest advocates.
“You can`t put a number on it. He`s invaluable. There`s so many good things he does. You name it, he does it. And he doesn`t get enough credit for his defensive abilities,” McDavid commented recently. “There`s not many — maybe nobody — better.”
Draisaitl has scored 10 power-play goals in the past two Oilers playoff runs, with McDavid assisting on seven of them. This includes the cross-ice feed for the overtime winner in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final and a highlight-reel play in Game 2 of the Final where McDavid deked two Panthers defenders before setting up Draisaitl.
These power-play assists contribute to McDavid`s ascent in the rankings for most multi-assist games in NHL postseason history. Entering Game 3, he had 33 career multi-assist playoff games, ranking third behind Oilers legends Gretzky (72) and Messier (40).
“They`re the best at almost all aspects of the game,” stated Oilers winger Jeff Skinner. “They are dominant every night, and that gives them the confidence to keep doing it.”
This dominance means opposing teams, like the Panthers, often can only hope to limit the inevitable impact McDavid and Draisaitl will have.
In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Florida iced the puck 21 times. When their fourth line committed an infraction and forced a defensive zone faceoff, Coach Knoblauch sometimes deployed McDavid and Draisaitl together to exploit the matchup.
Panthers fourth-line winger Jonah Gadjovich knew the strategy in such situations: get the puck out and change quickly. “Play hard. Get off the ice as quick as you can. Get the puck out and get off. That`s what we`re trying to do,” he explained.
Defending McDavid alone is challenging; defending both McDavid and Draisaitl is a formidable task, even for Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov, considered one of the league`s best defensive forwards.
“You just have to know that they`re on the ice. You have to be aware of them all the times. You have to know a little bit of their tendencies as well,” said Barkov. “But at the same time, it`s five guys on ice. It`s not just one. So five guys need to know you need to know where they are and take the time and space away from it.”
Panthers defenseman Seth Jones echoed this sentiment. “When they play together, they`re obviously very creative players and they make everyone around them better. They like to look for each other, especially when they play together. Little give-and-goes, things like that,” he said. “Whether they`re playing together or apart, it`s a five-man unit, defending holdups, little things like that, just being physical on them is going to help us at the end of the day.”
However, the Panthers faced a different version of McDavid and Draisaitl compared to previous postseasons. In past deep runs, the players were often battling injuries and fatigue. This time, they are healthier and more rested, having played fewer games in the earlier rounds thanks to two consecutive five-game series wins.
Both players have reflected on how the previous playoff experiences changed their approach this season, particularly mentally. McDavid has spoken about feeling more “comfortable” this time around, with the experience feeling more routine.
Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has played alongside both stars during his career, praised their mental fortitude.
“It speaks to their level of competitiveness, which is so impressive on a day-to-day basis that it pushes you,” he commented. “They`re two of the most talented players that we`ve probably ever seen in the game, but there has to be more than that, and these guys have that. They`re so competitive. They want to win so bad.”
Their performance numbers certainly support this assessment.
