EDMONTON, Alberta – While Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky hold the top two spots for all-time Stanley Cup playoffs scoring, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers have recently surpassed the legendary duo in a specific NHL record category.
“They are the finest players of their era,” commented Messier. He ranks second in all-time postseason scoring with 295 points in 236 games, while Gretzky leads with 382 points in 208 games.
Gretzky and Messier had 28 playoff games where both players recorded multiple points. In Game 2 of the recent Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers, McDavid (with three assists) and Draisaitl (scoring a goal and an assist) each achieved multiple points for the 29th time in a postseason game, surpassing Messier and “The Great One.”
They are now one game behind Gretzky and Glenn Anderson for second place in this statistic but will need significantly more time to catch Gretzky and linemate Jari Kurri, who combined for 44 multipoint games while playing for Edmonton and Los Angeles.
“It`s truly remarkable for a team like Edmonton, considering the caliber of players and teams that have been part of its history,” Messier remarked. “Some NHL franchises have existed for a very long time and never had a player like Bobby Orr or Mario Lemieux. For a team that once had Gretzky to now possess McDavid and Draisaitl is extraordinary.”
Naturally, Messier himself was an exceptional player. The Hockey Hall of Fame center is third in NHL history with 1,887 career points. He and Gretzky won four Stanley Cups together in Edmonton, and Messier added another Cup with the Oilers after Gretzky was traded to Los Angeles. They were the driving force behind those teams; Gretzky (252 points) ranking first and Messier (215 points) second in playoff scoring for Edmonton history. McDavid ranks fifth (148 points in 92 games), and Draisaitl is sixth (137 points in 92 games).
McDavid and Draisaitl surpassing a record held by Gretzky and Messier has a symbolic quality. Both pairs of superstars served as the first- and second-line centers for the Oilers. All four players have received NHL MVP awards. The current leaders for Edmonton are aiming to bring the first Stanley Cup championship to the city since the Oilers` dynasty concluded in 1990.
Their goalie, Stuart Skinner, who grew up in Edmonton as an Oilers fan, stated, “They`ve been with this organization for quite some time now. They are two of the world`s best players. Everyone recognizes their immense importance to the Oilers.”
Draisaitl was selected third overall by Edmonton in the 2014 draft, following defenseman Aaron Ekblad and center Sam Reinhart, both now members of the Panthers. McDavid was the highly sought-after first overall pick in 2015, whom Edmonton drafted after winning the lottery and moving up from the third spot.
In the current postseason, McDavid leads all players with 31 points, while Draisaitl is second with 29 points.
Draisaitl has achieved at least 10 goals in three consecutive postseasons, joining only New York Islanders legend Mike Bossy (four seasons from 1980 to 1983) and Gretzky (three seasons from 1983 to 1985) in this feat.
This is McDavid`s third postseason reaching the 30-point mark, placing him in a tie with Messier for second-most all time, behind Gretzky, who had six. If Draisaitl reaches 30 points, it will also be his third such postseason. Draisaitl`s next point will also establish a new NHL record for himself and McDavid: no other pair of teammates in Stanley Cup playoffs history has recorded back-to-back 30-point postseasons.
Not even Gretzky and Messier.
Messier observed, “I believe Oilers fans value this because of the legacy of the 1980s dynasty, followed by a long period of drought, and now what they have with McDavid and Draisaitl. There is appreciation for their drive, work ethic, talent, and determination to be the best. They have demonstrated all these qualities.”
AT THE END of Game 1 of the Western Conference Final, as the Dallas Stars celebrated a remarkable third-period comeback win, Draisaitl and McDavid simultaneously turned their heads to look at each other on the Oilers bench.
On social media, this moment became widely known as `The Look.`
Fans marked events as happening either before or after `The Look.` Notably, the Oilers proceeded to win the next four games against Dallas, outscoring them 19-5, and then secured a victory in Game 1 of the Final.
While the internet assigned considerable importance to this brief but intense glance, McDavid stated he didn`t recall the exact moment. However, he confirmed that over time, he and Draisaitl have developed a form of telepathic communication.
“`Sometimes, yes, all it takes is a glance to understand what`s happening,` he said.”
The offensive production generated when McDavid and Draisaitl are on the ice together certainly suggests an almost extra-sensory connection between them.
Heading into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night, McDavid and Draisaitl have now contributed to the same goal 73 times in the playoffs. Only three duos in NHL history have factored into the same goal more frequently:
- Gretzky and Kurri (132)
- Anderson and Messier (86)
- Bossy and Bryan Trottier (85)
Over 43 games in the past two postseasons, Edmonton has scored 21 goals at 5-on-5 with both McDavid and Draisaitl on the ice, averaging 4.4 goals per 60 minutes. When neither is on the ice, the Oilers` 5-on-5 scoring rate was 2.03 goals per 60 minutes in their past 43 games, although this season`s supporting players have increased that rate to 2.71 goals per 60 in the team`s recent 18 games.
This postseason, McDavid and Draisaitl have an expected goals rate of 66.4% at 5-on-5; when neither of them is on the ice at 5-on-5, the rest of the Oilers achieve 49.6% of the expected goals, according to Natural Stat Trick. When Messier and Gretzky were teammates, the Oilers rarely put them on the same line.
“`No, we primarily played on separate lines. On the power play sometimes, but not always,` Messier explained. `I centered the second line, which was a major reason why we became so difficult to compete against.`”
McDavid and Draisaitl have played 167:04 together at 5-on-5 across 18 games this postseason, which is more time than McDavid (158:43) and Draisaitl (150:06) have spent on the ice away from each other. This indicates that coach Kris Knoblauch has not hesitated to deploy the `nuclear option` against opponents this postseason, uniting his two offensive talents on the same line.
“`We`ve used them together throughout the playoffs, and they have simply exploded, scoring at an incredibly high rate,` Knoblauch stated.”
However, the coach mentioned he is mindful of the consequences when Draisaitl moves to McDavid`s wing.
“`Having Leon play center distributes our scoring a bit more. It also helps him become more involved in the game. He`s skating and participating,` Knoblauch said. `I think it also lets the rest of our team understand their role, that they need to perform well, and we aren`t solely depending on just one line to do all the work.`”
Naturally, the Oilers are more than pleased to rely on McDavid and Draisaitl as linemates during the power play. In 43 games over the last two postseasons, Edmonton has scored 34 goals with both players on the ice during a power play. The Oilers have scored only once on the power play without both McDavid and Draisaitl on the ice over the last two postseasons.
Draisaitl has 22 career power-play goals in 92 games, tying him for 29th all time. Only Hockey Hall of Fame winger Cam Neely (25 goals in 93 games) had more goals while playing fewer than 100 career postseason games. Draisaitl enters Game 3 needing one power-play goal to tie Gretzky (23) for the most in Oilers history – a total “The Great One” achieved in 120 games.
Alex Ovechkin is known for the `Ovi Spot` on the power play. Leon has `Drai Island`: Draisaitl has now scored 73 power-play goals from the right circle with a one-timer in regular season and playoff games since shot tracking began in 2016-17. The next closest player is Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov, significantly behind with 44 goals.
McDavid remains Draisaitl`s strongest advocate.
“`You cannot quantify his value. He is indispensable. There are so many positive contributions he makes. Whatever you name, he does it. And his defensive abilities do not receive sufficient credit,` McDavid said last week. `There are not many – perhaps no one – better.`”
Draisaitl has scored 10 power-play goals over the Oilers` last two playoff runs. McDavid provided the primary assist on seven of them. This includes his pass across the ice to Draisaitl for the overtime winning goal in Game 1 and his remarkable individual effort to set him up for a goal in Game 2, where McDavid deked past Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad.
These power-play assists are a reason why McDavid has advanced in the rankings for most multi-assist games in NHL postseason history. Entering Game 3, he has 33 career multi-assist playoff games, placing him third behind Oilers legends Gretzky (72) and Messier (40).
Oilers winger Jeff Skinner commented, “`They are the best in almost all aspects of the game. They dominate every night, which gives them the confidence to continue doing so.`”
This means that opponents, such as the Panthers, can realistically only hope to limit the impact that McDavid and Draisaitl are bound to have.
IN GAME 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Florida iced the puck 21 times. Occasionally, this penalty was committed by their fourth line. When this occurred, forcing the Panthers to take a faceoff in their own defensive zone, Knoblauch would readily send McDavid and Draisaitl out together to exploit the matchup.
When that situation arose, Panthers fourth-line winger Jonah Gadjovich knew the strategy – get off the ice as quickly as possible and let other players handle them.
“`Compete hard. Get off the ice as quickly as possible. Get the puck out and exit. That`s our objective,` he said.”
Defending against McDavid is challenging. Defending against both McDavid and Draisaitl is frightening, even for Barkov, who is considered the top defensive forward in the NHL.
“`You simply have to be aware that they are on the ice. You must constantly be conscious of their presence. You also need to have some understanding of their tendencies,` said Barkov, a three-time winner of the Selke Trophy, including this season. `But concurrently, it`s five players on the ice. It`s not just one. So all five players must know where they are and reduce their time and space.`”
Panthers defenseman Seth Jones echoed this sentiment.
“`When they play together, they are clearly very creative players, and they elevate the performance of everyone around them. They enjoy looking for each other, especially when paired. Small give-and-go plays, things like that,` he mentioned. `Whether they are playing together or separately, it`s a five-man effort, defending cohesively, handling little things, just being physically tough against them will ultimately benefit us.`”
However, the Panthers are facing a different version of McDavid and Draisaitl compared to last postseason. Both players were less than 100% healthy in 2023, having played 13 playoff games over the two rounds before the Stanley Cup Final. This time, they are healthy and well-rested, having played only 10 games in those rounds due to two consecutive series wins in five games.
Both players have spoken about how the 2024 postseason journey has changed them, specifically regarding their mental approach to this season`s Final. McDavid has mentioned feeling more `comfortable` this time around, with the second experience feeling more routine.
Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has served as a linemate for both McDavid and Draisaitl throughout his career, commended their mental toughness.
“`It highlights their level of competitiveness, which is so impressive daily that it motivates you,` he said. `They are two of the most gifted players we have likely ever witnessed in the sport, but there must be more than just talent, and these guys possess that. They are incredibly competitive. They desperately want to win.`”
The statistics certainly support this claim.
