McDavid's latest hat trick boosts chances of defending scoring title
Don't count Connor McDavid out of the Art Ross Trophy race.
The Edmonton Oilers are languishing near the bottom of the NHL standings, but it's not for a lack of production on the part of their franchise center.
McDavid recorded a hat trick in Sunday's win over the Colorado Avalanche, marking his third such feat of the season and his second this month alone.
As a result, his 2017-18 totals now stand at 26 goals and 43 assists, good for 69 points and a temporary share of second in the league scoring race.
He remains eight points behind Nikita Kucherov, but the Oilers' phenom has recorded 11 goals and four assists through nine games in February, good for a 1.67 point-per-game pace.
That's 0.5 points per game higher than his career average, but even if that recent pace falls off a bit, there's reason to believe McDavid could still challenge Kucherov.
As it stands, McDavid is on pace for 98 points, two off his league-leading total from last season. Kucherov, however, is tracking toward 107 points of his own, so he'll be tough to catch.
But if anyone can make up that ground, it's McDavid, and even on a team destined for yet another lottery draft pick.