The Edmonton Oilers are really on the rise. They had a horrific start to the season which led to them firing their head coach. Since then, they have been a lot better.
Part of that is the fact that Connor McDavid is healthy and playing at the top of his game again. That was on full display again on Tuesday night.
The Oilers thumped the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2. It was a great win for them over a team that plays hard and has some skill.
The biggest reason for the win, you guessed it, was Connor McDavid. He factored on all five goals that the Oilers scored in this one.
Connor McDavid is still very much the best player in the NHL
Connor McDavid scored the first goal of the season and assisted on the other four. All four of the assists were primary too which is very impressive. He is as dangerous as he's ever been right now.
McDavid's second point, the assist on Zach Hyman's goal, was the 900th of his NHL career. He is 26 years old and already is at that milestone. Based on games played, he is the fifth fastest player to reach that milestone.
He is now at 903 points in 602 games played. He needs 97 more points to reach 1000 which he will surely do at age 27.
Will he do it this season? There are 47 more Edmonton Oilers games left this season for him to find those 97 points. He'd have to reach yet another level to do so but nobody should put anything past him. He would need to average over two points per game the rest of the way.
This season, he has 53 points in 33 games, about 1.6 points per game. However, that includes the first month of the season when he wasn't himself. Over the last two months, he looks like someone who could do some special things.
Connor McDavid may enjoy personal success because he wants to be known as one of the all-time greats. However, he cares about winning more.
The Oilers have now won six in a row dating back before Christmas and are 7-3-0 in their last ten. They are now 19-15-1 on the season which has them right there in the playoff race with 39 points. There is plenty of hockey left in the season.
They are a good bet to be in the playoffs by April. Connor McDavid has been truly impressive for a long time now and he is reaching new heights in his prime. His five-point game was an example of how dangerous he can be. Everyone should tune into Oilers games as often as they can.