Connor McDavid continues his relentless pursuit of NHL records.
On Thursday, the captain of the Edmonton Oilers achieved a significant milestone, becoming the second-fastest player in National Hockey League history to accumulate 100 playoff assists. Only the legendary Wayne Gretzky, another former Oiler, reached this mark sooner.
McDavid secured his 100th assist in just his 90th career playoff game. In comparison, Gretzky needed only 70 games to reach the same total. The third player on this list, Doug Gilmour, took significantly longer, hitting 100 assists in 125 post-season appearances.
The milestone assist for McDavid occurred on the Oilers` initial goal during Game 5 against the Dallas Stars. His pass set up a goal for veteran forward Corey Perry, who, at over 40 years old, made history as only the second player in NHL history in that age bracket to score in consecutive Conference Final games.
Across the entire history of the league, a total of 25 players have reached the 100-assist plateau in the playoffs. This exclusive group includes active prominent players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Nikita Kucherov.
Other esteemed players who achieved this feat relatively quickly in their careers include Adam Oates, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, and Jari Kurri.
Beyond McDavid and Perry, another Oiler celebrated a personal milestone on Thursday. Jeff Skinner scored his first-ever playoff goal, finally breaking a notable streak of 373 regular-season goals without a single tally in the post-season. Skinner`s goal was the third for Edmonton in the game.
