Oilers' Connor McDavid gets 100th assist of season in thrashing of Sharks

April 16 (UPI) -- Connor McDavid became just the fourth player in NHL history to log 100 assists in a single season, feeding Zach Hyman in the second period of a 9-2 Edmonton Oilers thrashing of the San Jose Sharks.

McDavid helped Hyman light the lamp 15:35 into the period Monday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The three-time Hart Trophy winner also scored the first goal of the night, beating goaltender Devin Cooley for his 32nd goal just 53 seconds into the game.

Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr are the only other players in NHL history to log 100 assists in a season. Gretzky accomplished the feat 11 times, including his record 163-assist season in 1985-86.

"It means a lot," McDavid told reporters. "Those three are three of the greatest players to ever play. To share a little something with them means a lot to me. I'm just thankful for my teammates, the staff here in Edmonton, coaches and everybody. I feel very grateful for our staff here in Edmonton and all the players here."

Oilers forwards Adam Henrqiue, Warren Foegele and Dylan Holloway also scored in the first period of the blowout.

Forward Danil Gushshin scored for the Sharks 1:58 into the second. Foegele then scored the first of five Oilers goals in the period. Forward Corey Perry and defensemen Cody Ceci and Evan Bouchard also found the net, before McDavid assisted Hyman.

Defenseman Darnell Nurse recovered a loose puck deep in Oilers territory and fired it up the left side. McDavid received the feed and slid into the left circle, closing in on the Sharks goal.

He then tapped the puck around a defender and slid a short pass to his right, finding Hyman. The Oilers forward finished the play with a quick shot past goaltender Georgi Romanov.

Sharks forward Fabian Zetterlund scored the final goal of the night with 4:31 remaining in the third period.

McDavid's 100 assists are the 14th-most in NHL history for a single season. Orr's 102 assists from 1970-71 are tied with Gretzky's 102 from 1989-90 for the 12th-most.

McDavid's 132 points this season trail only Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (142) and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan McKinnon (138). Kucherov totaled 99 assists through 80 games in 2023-24.

Just two games remain on the Oilers' (49-25-6) regular-season schedule. They sit in second place in the Pacific Division of the NHL's Western Conference, three points behind the Vancouver Canucks (49-22-9).

The Oilers will meet the Arizona Coyotes at 10 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Tempe, Ariz. They will play the Avalanche at 9:30 p.m. Thursday in Denver.