Connor McDavid is likely getting very sick of accomplishing historic, rare feats in games where the Edmonton Oilers lose. Edmonton suffered a disappointing loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon, but the recently signed Oilers captain continued his dominance against the franchise. Despite only playing against New Jersey twice a year, McDavid cannot stop piling up points against the Eastern Conference squad.
“Connor McDavid (17 GP vs. NJD) became the fifth active player with a point in every regular-season meeting against a single opponent (min. 10 GP),” via NHLPR on X, formerly known as Twitter. He now has seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points in 17 games against New Jersey.
McDavid made it clear in his contract negotiations that he doesn't care about individual success but wants to win that elusive Stanley Cup. The captain knows that recording two points against the Devils in the middle of October means nothing if his team loses the game. The Oilers are off to another slow start this year, as they sit 10th in the Western Conference with a 2-2-1 record.
The team's offensive output is likely the most concerning aspect for McDavid's group. It seemed like the organization solved the depth scoring issue in last year's playoffs, but losing players like Corey Perry and Evander Kane in the offseason has them searching for that again.
It isn't the end of the world for Edmonton. They had slow starts in each of the past two seasons but made it to the Stanley Cup Final in each. While it'd be nice not to be chasing every season, the Oilers' front office won't panic yet. They'll hope that 97 can continue his dominance on the rest of the league, and the other players will fall in line.
