Rodney Knuppel Sat, October 31, 2026 at 11:32 AM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Connor McDavid's outrageous start creates historic Halloween showdown with NHL's newest young star originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Connor McDavid has produced extraordinary seasons throughout his NHL career, but his opening month of 2026-27 has reached a level that almost defies explanation. The Edmonton Oilers captain enters Saturday's game against the New York Islanders with 36 points in 13 games. That includes eight goals and 28 assists, giving him an average of more than 2.7 points per game.
McDavid has also recorded an assist in every game Edmonton has played this season, establishing an NHL record for the longest assist streak to begin a campaign. His remarkable start has created a fascinating Halloween afternoon against one of hockey's most promising young players.
Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, will share the ice with the player selected first overall a decade earlier.
McDavid was the first pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and has spent the following decade becoming one of the most productive offensive players of his generation.
Schaefer represents the next wave of elite talent. The young Islanders defenseman enters Saturday with 14 points in 13 games, including four goals and 10 assists.
He also ranks third in the NHL in average ice time at 26 minutes, 58 seconds per game. That workload is particularly striking for a player so early in his professional career.
McDavid leads NHL forwards in average ice time at 23 minutes, 30 seconds, making it likely that the two will see plenty of each other. The matchup offers a rare opportunity to watch an established superstar face a young defenseman already trusted with enormous responsibility.
McDavid's 36 points put him on a mathematical pace for 232 points over an 82-game season. That is a projection, not a prediction. Maintaining such production for an entire season would be an extraordinary challenge.
Still, the numbers demonstrate just how unusual his opening stretch has been.
McDavid extended his record assist streak with two assists in Edmonton's 4-0 victory over Calgary on Wednesday. The Oilers enter Saturday with a 9-2-2 record and a franchise-record five consecutive road victories to begin a season.
The Islanders are 7-4-2 and have won four of their last six games, including an overtime victory against Minnesota on Thursday. Schaefer scored the winner in that game.
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Saturday's game is not simply a showcase for McDavid's scoring pace. It brings together two players separated by a decade of NHL draft history and operating at different stages of their careers.
One is attempting to build on an already remarkable legacy. The other is trying to establish his own.
The puck drops at 2 p.m. ET at UBS Arena.
If McDavid continues his record-setting start, the Islanders will have a difficult afternoon. If Schaefer helps slow him down, the young defenseman will have another memorable moment in a season already filled with them.
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