Oilers’ McDavid a scoring machine
Since before he was even drafted No. 1 overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2015, everybody knew there was something special about Connor McDavid.
This season, he has been downright magical.
McDavid’s four-point performance in a 4-3 win over Vancouver on Saturday night gave the superstar 100 points in just 53 games this season.
The 24-year-old became the ninth NHL player — and first in his lifetime — to record to 100 points in 53 games or fewer.
McDavid leads the league in scoring with 32 goals and 68 assists, and Edmonton has three games remaining in the regular season.
And he has Edmonton locked in a playoff berth for just the second time since 2005-06.
With his fourth 100-point season, McDavid became the third active player with at least four before age 25.
The others are Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. Wayne Gretzky holds the record with seven century seasons before turning 25.
“Those are the game’s best players of all time,” McDavid said. “It’s special to be mentioned in the same breath as those guys.
“I think obviously team success comes first. When the team is playing well, that’s when individuals are having success. You’re seeing lots of guys on our team have some really good seasons.” BLACKHAWKS 4, DALLAS STARS 2 >> Alex DeBrincat scored two more goals, Kevin Lankinen made 37 saves and the Chicago Blackhawks welcomed fans back to the United Center with a victory over the Dallas Stars.
BLUE JACKETS FIRE COACH TORTORELLA >> John Tortorella is out as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets after six seasons.
General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement Sunday that parting ways with the winningest coach in franchise history was a mutual decision.
The 62-year-old Tortorella was in the last year of his contract, and the separation wasn’t a surprise after the Blue Jackets fell to last place in their division. COYOTES DUMP TOCCHET AS COACH >> Coach Rick Tocchet won’t return for a fifth season with the Arizona Coyotes, the team announced Sunday, saying the sides “mutually agreed to part ways.”
The move comes after the Coyotes missed the playoffs for the seventh time in eight seasons.
“After meeting with Rick, we have agreed that a coaching change is in the best interest of the club,” general manager Bill Armstrong said in a statement.