Connor McDavid is the best player in the NHL, and it did not take him very long this season to remind people of that.
The Oilers superstar scored a milestone hat trick to propel the team to a comeback 5-3 win over the Canucks in their season opener Wednesday night.
Vancouver had built a 3-0 lead by the first minute of the second period, but McDavid and Co. rattled off five consecutive goals for the victory. McDavid added an assist to his hat trick to finish the night with four points.
Leon Draisaitl potted a goal and had two assists while Zach Hyman collected two helpers of his own. Jack Campbell made 33 saves in his Oilers debut.
A very nice power play goal. 😍 pic.twitter.com/R9MwGMVFMJ
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 13, 2022
Connor’s second of the night to put us ahead. 😎 pic.twitter.com/9lfxRNTNiz
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 13, 2022
Hats off to our captain. 🧢🧢🧢 pic.twitter.com/7QXDrFRjwM
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 13, 2022
It is the 11th hat trick of McDavid’s career and the second time in his career he has scored on in a season opener.
Not only did McDavid open the season with three goals, but his goal in the third period was his 700th career point. He’s the sixth fastest player to do so.
ANOTHER McDAVID MILESTONE 👏
Connor McDavid (@cmcdavid97) is the sixth fastest to reach the 700-point club! pic.twitter.com/sGyQazurb3
— NHL (@NHL) October 13, 2022
For the Canucks, Andrei Kuzmenko scored in his NHL debut while Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller also found the back of the net. Thatcher Demko stopped 20 of 24 shots.
The win comes on a night where the Oilers paid tribute to Ben Stelter, an Edmonton fan who died at the age of 6 after a battle with cancer. He became a favorite to the Oilers’ faithful and the team during last season’s playoff run, known for always chanting, “Play La Bamba, baby!”
A beautiful tribute to Ben Stelter.
Play La Bamba, Baby. 🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/PheyhM3Uhq
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 13, 2022
“Tonight was for our buddy Ben,” McDavid said after the game. “We miss him. For the whole Stelter family, we think about him. . . . I think about him after big wins and tonight was a big win and I’m thinking about him.
“You know his favorite saying was ‘Play La Bamba, baby!’ so I think we’ll have to listen to that tonight.”
MORE: Josh Anderson’s late goal lifts Canadiens to win over Maple Leafs
The back-to-back Art Ross Trophy recipient is looking to build off his career-high 123 points from last season. More importantly, the Oilers grabbed a momentum-shifting win to kick off their season, in which they once again have Cup aspirations.
Connor McDavid career hat tricks
The hat trick was the 11th of McDavid’s career. He has scored at least one in six of his eight NHL seasons.
| Date | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 19, 2016 | Stars | Oilers 5, Stars 2 |
| Oct. 4, 2017 | Flames | Oilers 3, Flames 0 |
| Feb. 2, 2018 | Lightning | Oilers 6, Lightning 2 |
| Feb. 18, 2018 | Avalanche | Oilers 4, Avalanche 2 |
| Nov. 14, 2019 | Avalanche | Oilers 6, Avalanche 2 |
| Aug. 3, 2020 | Blackhawks | Oilers 6, Blackhawks 3 |
| Jan. 14, 2021 | Canucks | Oilers 5, Canucks 2 |
| Feb. 20, 2021 | Flames | Oilers 7, Flames 1 |
| April 26, 2021 | Jets | Oilers 6, Jets 1 |
| Oct. 16, 2021 | Flames | Oilers 5, Flames 2 |
| Oct. 12, 2022 | Canucks | Oilers 5, Canucks 3 |
Fewest games to 700 points in the NHL
McDavid’s showing in the 2022-23 opener is just the latest in a remarkable career. He became the seventh-fastest player to reach 700 points, needing just 488 games to do so. The all-time list:
| Player | Games to reach 700 |
|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | 217 |
| Mario Lemieux | 363 |
| Peter Stastny | 457 |
| Mike Bossy | 469 |
| Jari Kurri | 483 |
| Connor McDavid | 488 |
| Sidney Crosby | 497 |
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