Connor McDavid Extends Season-Opening Point Streak to 20 Games as Oilers Edge Flyers

Connor McDavid has put his name alongside some of the greatest players in hockey history. The Edmonton Oilers captain recorded an assist in Wednesday night's 3-2 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers at Rogers Place, extending his season-opening point streak to 20 games. Only three other players have ever done that in the NHL.

How the game unfolded

According to the NHL's official recap, Zach Hyman scored both Edmonton goals in regulation. His second, on the power play, came from a rebound off a McDavid shot, which kept the streak going. Tyson Foerster and Travis Sanheim replied for Philadelphia, with Edmonton unsuccessfully challenging the equaliser for goaltender interference. Defenceman Evan Bouchard settled it just 47 seconds into overtime, ripping a one-timer off the post and in from a Leon Draisaitl pass.

• Final score: Oilers 3, Flyers 2 (OT).
• McDavid: one assist on the night.
• Season totals: 49 points (11 goals, 38 assists), leading the league.
• Edmonton have won three straight and improved to 14-3-3.

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The NHL notes that McDavid is the fourth player to record a point in each of the first 20 games of a season. The others are Wayne Gretzky, who did it three times, including a record 51-game run to open 1983-84; Mats Sundin, with 30 games in 1992-93; and Dany Heatley, with 22 games in 2005-06.

It is also the second 20-game streak of McDavid's career, after he collected 46 points in a 20-game run during the 2025-26 season. That makes him only the eighth player with more than one such streak. Gretzky leads that list with seven, while Mario Lemieux, Guy Lafleur, Patrick Kane, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Adam Oates each managed two.

The point streak is not McDavid's only landmark this season. On 1 November against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, he became the fastest player in NHL history to reach 30 assists in a season, beating Wayne Gretzky, who needed 16 games to get there in 1984-85. He also scored 50 seconds into that game, his eighth career goal in the opening minute, breaking a tie with Mark Messier for the most in Oilers history.

Frustration for Philadelphia

For the Flyers it was a fourth defeat in five games, leaving them 5-10-6 on the season. They had plenty of the play, outshooting Edmonton 13-6 in the first period and 15-7 in the second, according to the NHL. Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry made 30 saves, while Dan Vladar stopped 21 at the other end. Philadelphia also lost forward Noel Acciari to an upper-body injury in the second period, and coach Rick Tocchet had no update afterwards. Even so, Tocchet insisted his team had played "a great hockey game" and said he was proud of his players.

Why it matters

The streak is more than a personal milestone. McDavid's consistency is the engine behind Edmonton's strong start, with the Oilers taking points from 11 of their last 13 games. His playmaking has been extraordinary: 38 assists in 20 games is a pace rarely seen even in the league's greatest individual seasons. Draisaitl is riding a hot streak of his own, with points in seven straight games.

Edmonton now head out on an extended road trip that begins in Toronto. If McDavid keeps scoring, Heatley's 22-game mark is the next target, with Sundin's 30 further on the horizon.