Connor McDavid Hits 800 NHL Games vs Kings

Connor McDavid just keeps stacking absurd milestones. The Edmonton Oilers captain plays his 800th NHL game Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena, closing a three-game California road trip that has otherwise felt light on hockey and heavy on waiting around hotel lobbies.

Through 799 games he has 1,233 points on 412 goals and 821 assists. That is 1.54 points per game, a goals-per-60 of 1.09 and a points-per-60 of 2.91. Only two players in league history have more points through their first 800 games: Wayne Gretzky (1,892) and Mario Lemieux (1,580).

Same date, different decade

October 13 carries extra weight for McDavid. On this date in 2015 he scored his first career NHL goal in a 4-2 loss at Dallas. Eleven years later he is still the player everyone builds a night around, and the Oilers are still the team chasing the pace he sets when the puck hits his stick in open ice.

Edmonton is 4-0-1 and the only club in the league without a regulation loss. The Oilers have won four straight since dropping their opener 6-5 in overtime to Vancouver. A point Tuesday would mark the third time in franchise history they open with a six-game points streak, after the 7-0 start in 1983-84 and the 12-0-3 run in 1984-85.

Coach Mike Babcock admitted the California swing has had too much dead time, but he also waved that off once the morning skate ended. "It's game day. We got to get right and play right."

Who is in and who is out

Zach Hyman was a hopeful for Tuesday but is a no-go. Edmonton expects him back for the home-and-home with Utah that starts Thursday at Rogers Place. Jake Walman is out again with an undisclosed injury, another reminder that his availability can turn into a season-long subplot.

Evan Bouchard has been a monster early, with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in five games. He is only the third defenseman to hit at least 12 points through five games of a season, joining Harry Cameron (1917-18 Toronto Arenas) and Morgan Rielly (2018-19 Maple Leafs).

Kings try to get off the mat

Los Angeles sits 0-2-2 and is trying to avoid opening winless in five for the first time since 1997-98. The Kings rank last in five-on-five goals, 31st on the penalty kill and near the bottom in goals against. Life after Anze Kopitar has been rough, and they have spent barely 11 minutes with the lead all season.

For Oilers fans, the night is simple. Watch 97 hit 800, hope the California trip ends with another point, and remember how ridiculous that points-per-game line still looks on a Tuesday in October.