Oilers’ Connor McDavid breaks NHL record for most assists in a single post-season

With his 32nd assist of the playoffs Saturday night against the Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers’ forward Connor McDavid made history by breaking Wayne Gretzky’s single post-season assist record.

The score was already 6-1 midway through the third period when McDavid, who already had a goal and two assists, fed Dylan Holloway for his fifth goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, giving the Oilers’ captain the record.

McDavid tied Gretzky’s record with seven minutes to go in the second period when he had a hand on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins‘ seventh goal of the post-season, a power-play marker to make it 6-1.

The Oilers ended up winning the game 8-1, cutting their series deficit to 3-1 and forcing a Game 5, which will be played Tuesday night in Sunrise, Fla.

To put it in perspective, Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli shared this mind-blowing tidbit: McDavid has as many assists these playoffs as 16 of the last 18 post-season leaders in the salary-cap era had total points.

The 2023-24 season was already a historic one for the Oilers’ captain, who became just the fourth player in NHL history to record 100 assists in a single season. It was the fourth time he led the league in assists. He finished the regular season with 32 goals and 132 total points, the second-highest mark of his career.

This current playoff campaign has seen the highest production of McDavid’s career. With a goal on top of his three assists, McDavid has six goals and 32 assists for 38 points, five more points than what he recorded in the 2022 post-season.

His 38 points this post-season also tie Gretzky for the fifth-highest total in NHL playoff history, a feat Gretzky accomplished in 1983. The Great One holds the all-time single playoff record with 47 in 1985.

The Oilers are attempting to be the first team to comeback from a 0-3 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final since the Toronto Maple Leafs did so against the Detroit Red Wings in 1942.