Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid is three goals away from reaching 400 career goals in the NHL. Known primarily for his playmaking, McDavid has increased his shooting this season ahead of Thursday's game against the Dallas Stars. Teammates highlight his ability to drive the offense through both passes and shots.
Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers' captain, stands three goals shy of the 400-goal milestone in his NHL career. Despite his reputation as a pass-first player, McDavid remains one of the league's top goal-scorers. He can approach the mark when the Oilers visit the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, broadcast on HULU, ESPN+, SNO and SN1.
McDavid leads the NHL with 110 points, including 36 goals and 74 assists, in 65 games this season. He is on an eight-game point streak with 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) and a 19-game road point streak with 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists). Achieving 400 goals would make him the fifth player in Oilers history to do so, trailing Wayne Gretzky (583), Jari Kurri (474), Leon Draisaitl (433) and Glenn Anderson (417).
"He has that attack mindset; when he's taking the puck to the net, that's when he's scoring goals," said Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who has played with McDavid since the center was drafted No. 1 overall in 2015. Nugent-Hopkins added that McDavid's speed catches goalies off guard. This season, McDavid has 240 shots on goal, up from 196 last year when he recorded 100 points (26 goals, 74 assists) in 67 games. His shooting percentage stands at 15.0.
McDavid entered the season aiming to shoot more. In 2022-23, he won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy with 64 goals and the Art Ross Trophy with 153 points, firing a career-high 352 shots at an 18.2 percent rate. The next season, he had 32 goals and a career-best 100 assists in 76 games.
"For sure, he's got the mindset to get the puck to the net," said forward Zach Hyman. "The numbers don't lie; he's shooting the puck more this year." Hyman, who has played on McDavid's right wing since 2021-22, is on pace for another 30-plus goal season after a career-high 54 goals in 2023-24. Previously with the Toronto Maple Leafs, his best was 21 goals over six seasons.
"You trust Connor to make the right read, whether it's pass or shoot," Hyman said. McDavid scored the game-winning power-play goal in a 4-3 win at the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, assisted by Draisaitl. He recently returned from the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, where he set a tournament record with 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in six games for Canada, which lost 2-1 in overtime to the United States in the gold-medal game.
The Oilers hold 72 points, five ahead of the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, who are tied for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Coach Kris Knoblauch encourages McDavid's attack mentality. "The more he's shooting, the more dangerous he is," Knoblauch said, noting that McDavid balances passes and shots effectively. Currently, 14 active players have more career goals than McDavid's 397, but he leads the league in assists (795) and points (1,192) since entering the NHL.
