The NHL has never seen anything like it in the 21st century! McDavid makes historic move in scoring race
Sergey Emelyanov March 30, 2024, 09:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Nikita Kucherov still holds first place, but the density in the top three is off the charts.
Last night, the Tampa Bay Lightning and their top leader, Russian forward Nikita Kucherov, had a well-deserved day off as their main competitors in the NHL scoring race took to the ice. The Colorado Avalanche, with Nathan MacKinnon in the lineup, hosted the New York Rangers (2-3 B) at home, and the Edmonton Oilers, with Conn McDavid, hosted the Los Angeles Kings (4-1). These encounters turned out differently for the two Canadian phenoms.
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The Oilers captain made a great move in the scoring race, scoring 3 (1+2) goals. Five-time Art Ross Trophy winner opened the scoring in the sixth minute of the first half, after which he scored an assist double. The first point of the game allowed McDavid to become the third player this NHL season to reach the 120-point bar in this regular season.
No.PlayerMatchesGlassesHow much time is left to play?1Kucherov71124 (42+82)102McKinnon73123 (45+78)93McDavid69122 (27+95)11
The Canadian forward became the first NHL player of the 21st century to reach the 120-point mark in three consecutive seasons. Last season, McDavid scored 123 points, last year – 153, and this year he already has 122 points in 11 games before the end of the soft part of the season. The last player in league history with three consecutive 120+ point seasons was Wayne Gretzky, who achieved this feat in the 1989-1992 seasons.
It’s worth noting that Gretzky’s streak in those days actually amounted to 13 seasons with 120+ points (1979-1992). The leading scorer in NHL history holds the league record for longest streak. McDavid yesterday became the seventh player in NHL history with at least three consecutive seasons with more than 120 points. This group of hockey players also includes Guy Lefleur (5, 1975/1976–1979/1980, Montreal), Phil Esposito (5, 1970/1971–1974/1975, Boston), Mario Lemieux (3, 1987/1988 – 1989/ 1990, Pittsburgh), Paul Coffey (3, 1983/1984–1985/1986, Edmonton) and Marcel Dionne (3, 1978/1979–1980/1981, Los Angeles).
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Thanks to Connor reaching the 120-point mark, another historic moment in the NHL was recorded yesterday. For the first time since 1996, three players managed to score more than 120 points in a regular season. 28 years ago, Lemieux won the scoring race with 161 points, followed by Jaromir Jagr (149) and Joe Sakic (120). Nothing like this has happened since.
But what stands out if you look at the numbers of Lemieux, Jagr and Sakic. 28 years ago, the difference between first and third place was 41 (!) points. Now the competition for Art Ross is at an absolutely prohibitive level. According to yesterday’s results, the three leaders are within the range of two points. But even dual power could have been established. This would have happened if the Avalanche forward had not lost productive action from him in the meeting with the Rangers.
Seven minutes before the end of regulation, the puck ended up in the goal of Blueshirts goalie Igor Shesterkin. It looked like Nathan MacKinnon had extended his incredible home point streak to 36 games to start the season. But after watching it, it turned out that the puck flew into the goal after a sharp move by visiting defenseman Ryan Lindgren, as a result of which NHL statisticians scored the goal to Devon Toews and Nathan was deducted an assist. . Thus, MacKinnon’s 35-game scoring streak at home and his 19-game scoring streak overall ended.
Video rights belong to NHL Enterprises, LP. You can see it on the NHL website.
In this way, Kucherov alone retained first place in the points dispute, but McDavid, who occupies third place, is now only two points behind the Russian and also has one game less. On the night of March 30, the position in the top 3 in the NHL scoring race did not change, and the next day the confrontation between the Russian and the two Canadians will resume with renewed vigor. In general, the three teams can no longer doubt their participation in the upcoming playoffs, so their main task at the end of the regular season will be to ensure that their leader wins in a very prestigious individual category.
