On Tuesday night, Connor McDavid showcased a remarkable performance by tallying a career-high six assists, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins contributed two goals and an assist, propelling the Edmonton Oilers to an 8-4 victory over the visiting Detroit Red Wings. This marked McDavid’s second six-point game in his career.
McDavid’s impressive assist total brought his career assists to 603, achieving the 600-assist milestone in the fourth-fewest games in NHL history (616). Only Wayne Gretzky (416 games), Mario Lemieux (514), and Bobby Orr (608) accomplished this feat at a faster pace.
Evan Bouchard contributed a goal and two assists, and Cody Ceci and Leon Draisaitl each added a goal and an assist for the Oilers. Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, and Dylan Holloway also found the back of the net. Stuart Skinner made 34 saves for Edmonton, with the team sealing the win with a five-goal outburst in the third period.
On the opposing side, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, and David Perron each registered a goal and an assist, while Joe Veleno also scored for Detroit. Alex Lyon replaced the injured starter Ville Husso, who left the game with a lower-body injury after stopping six of seven shots in his first appearance since December 18.
Edmonton took an early lead with Draisaitl’s 25th goal of the season at the 8:48 mark of the first period. Ceci doubled the lead at 11:05 with his first goal since October 15, 2022. DeBrincat responded with a power-play goal to make it 2-1 by the end of the first period.
Bouchard extended Edmonton’s lead to 3-1 in the second period, but Veleno and Patrick Kane tied the game at 3-all heading into the third period. The Oilers then dominated the final frame, with Holloway, Nugent-Hopkins, Hyman, and Evander Kane all scoring within the first 13:41, securing a commanding 7-3 lead.