By the numbers: MVP or not, McDavid's better this year than last
History. It's something Connor McDavid has been making, yet it's the very thing that might be standing between him and his second straight Hart Trophy.
With his fourth three-plus-point performance in the last seven games Tuesday night, McDavid eclipsed the 100-point plateau for the second straight season, becoming the first player in eight years to achieve the feat. In his last 10 games, he's put up an outrageous 21 points.
In any other season, it'd be hard to argue against McDavid winning the Hart Trophy. This is where history comes into play. Not since the 1987-88 season - when Mario Lemieux paced the league with 70 goals and 168 points in 77 games on a Penguins team that finished one point out of a playoff spot - has a player on a non-playoff team won the Hart Trophy. In fact, it's only happened four times in the award's history.
Changing a precedent that has stood for 30 years is no simple task, and with as many as a half-dozen other suitable candidates, it'll be hard for McDavid to push the needle.
But what makes this all the more interesting is that McDavid is having himself a better season - at least statistically - than he did last year, when he won the Hart Trophy. Here's a look at the numbers:
102: The number of points McDavid has put up this season with five more games to go - two more than his season total last year.
40: The number of goals he has tallied, which is 10 more than he had last year, and tied for fourth overall.
Connor McDavid is the first @EdmontonOilers player to reach the 40-goal mark in a season since Petr Klima in 1990-91 (40). #NHLStats #CBJvsEDM pic.twitter.com/cNEZeAvhSN
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 28, 2018
7: The number of game-winning goals McDavid's put up - one more than last season.
7: Number of players, now including McDavid, to record multiple 100-point seasons before their 22nd birthday.
15.4: McDavid's shooting percentage this season, up from his 12 percent total last season.
34: Number of even-strength goals he has scored, which is up from 26 last year and leads the league.
104: Number of takeaways McDavid has had this season. It leads the league and is 14 more than Jeff Skinner, who sits second overall.
43: McDavid's blocked shots, which, surprisingly, leads all Oilers forwards.
46.36: Percentage of Oilers goals he has factored in on, which is up from 41.15 percent last year.
6.3: Number of even-strength minutes per game McDavid has played with Leon Draisaitl, which is actually down from 8.2 minutes last season.
1.35: McDavid's points-per-game average (with a minimum 50 games played), which ranks third in the NHL and is up from his league-leading 1.22 from last year.