Don't look now, but William Nylander just tied a Connor McDavid record
William Nylander's tremendous hot streak to open the season has been a sight to behold. Long has he been the target of criticism and carping, with some having labelled him a lazy player at times. Well, that all appears to be a thing of the past, as Nylander's 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons have given fans a lot more to celebrate and a lot less to criticize.
Nylander is currently riding a 17-game point streak to open the season, during which he has posted a bewildering 27 points, putting him on a 130-point pace. Is he likely to score 130 points this season? No, probably not, but he's certainly off to a great start and his first 100-point season certainly appears to be within reach.
Another thing that Nylander's 17-game point streak has accomplished is that it has moved him into a tie with Connor McDavid for the longest point streak to open a season among active NHLers. McDavid accomplished the feat back in 2021-22.
Nylander's 17-game point streak to start a season is also tied for the 2nd longest such streak in the salary cap era, with Dany Heatley's 22-game point streak in 2005 being the longest of this era.
Aside from Heatley, only two players have season-opening point streaks longer than Nylander's since 1988. Those players are Wayne Gretzky (23 games in 1988-89), and Mats Sundin (30 games in 1992-93). It's highly unlikely that Nylander catches Sundin at this point, but he certainly stands a pretty good chance of catching Gretzky if he can keep this up for 6 more games.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 20 | 312 ANSWERS Don't look now, but William Nylander just tied a Connor McDavid record Do you think William Nylander will catch Dany Heatley, Wayne Gretzky and Mats Sundin for longest point streak to open a season? | ||
| No | 93 | 29.8 % |
| Yes, Heatley (22 games) | 71 | 22.8 % |
| Yes, Gretzky (23 games) | 86 | 27.6 % |
| Yes Sundin (30 games) | 62 | 19.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
