Connor McDavid Sets Assist Record as Oilers Blank Flames

Connor McDavid picked up two more assists on Wednesday night, and with them he owns a piece of NHL history. The Edmonton Oilers shut out the Calgary Flames 4-0 at home to snap a two-game skid, and McDavid's assist streak to open the season reached 13 games, the longest in league history.

That is not a small list he passed. The Associated Press noted the mark moved him past names including Ken Linseman and Wayne Gretzky. He has now registered a point in all 13 games this season too, and his 36 points lead the NHL. For Oilers fans, the Battle of Alberta was the perfect stage to do it.

Jarry Shuts the Door

Tristan Jarry made 24 saves for the shutout. Mathieu Joseph, Mattias Ekholm, Kasperi Kapanen and Alex Formenton supplied the goals, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins chipped in assists. It was a spread-the-wealth night, which is exactly what Edmonton has needed from its supporting cast.

If you were watching in Edmonton, the cleanest takeaway was simple: Calgary put 24 shots on Jarry and none of them got through.

The win pushed Edmonton to 9-2-2. It also came against a Flames team that walked in hot, riding a four-game win streak before running into this one.

A Rough Night in the Calgary Crease

Calgary's night got worse late in the first period. Flames goalie Devin Cooley was injured after Oilers forward Colton Dach ran him over in the crease, and Cooley left after making eight saves. Dustin Wolf came on in relief and stopped 20 shots the rest of the way.

Flames fans will spend the next day watching for an update on Cooley, because that crease situation matters for a team sitting at 5-7-0. No timeline on his injury was reported after the game.

What McDavid's Streak Means

McDavid has eight goals this season, so most of his 36 points have come as a setup man, and the streak shows how steady that has been. He has not had a game this season without a helper. He takes the record to Long Island next, and every game from here is a chance to stretch it further.

Up next, Edmonton visits the New York Islanders on Saturday. Calgary hosts the Seattle Kraken on Friday night.

Smacktok Pick Lean

We lean higher on McDavid's assists against the Islanders on Saturday. He has at least one assist in all 13 games this season, a league record to open a year, and he is still feeding a lineup that just got goals from four different scorers in one night.