Connor McDavid wanted to do it big for his 60th goal of the campaign.
The Edmonton Oilers star gave his club a 4-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes by scoring on a breakaway in overtime Wednesday at Rogers Place.
Having just touched the post on a first solo incursion in front of Connor Ingram, the No. 97 was not going to miss a second chance identical to the first.
This time, McDavid lodged the puck in the top corner for his second goal of the game, 1:31 into extra time.
He thus became the first Oilers player since Wayne Gretzky, in 1986-1987, to reach this plateau. He has 138 points on his record, with ten games left in the Oilers season.
For the second consecutive season, an NHL player managed to thread the needle at least 60 times. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews achieved the feat in 2021-2022.
The Coyotes may have been tough, but Edmonton still posted their sixth straight win, and second straight in overtime, after Darnell Nurse’s game-winning goal on Monday.
McDavid’s trusty sidekick, Leon Draisaitl, set up each of the Albertans’ four goals, adding his 63rd, 64th, 65th and 66th assists of the campaign.
Clayton Keller gave goaltender Stuart Skinner a cold sweat, scoring a brace, his 18th in the NHL.
Scoring his 34th of the year at 8:54 of the third period, Keller gave the visitors a 3-2 lead. Skinner gave up three times on 17 shots.
The Oilers, however, tapped into their reserves, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ second goal of the evening allowed Jay Woodcroft’s troops to force an extension.
McDavid’s heroic goal came on the Oilers’ 31st shot. The NHL’s leading scorer – by a margin of 28 points – has totaled seven on his own.
