"With only three goals in his first 14 games, Connor McDavid looked like he might be having one of those years where he focuses more on setting up his teammates than scoring himself. He has these seasons from time to time, and there's nothing wrong with them-in '23-'24 he tallied a round 100 assists and finished third in MVP voting-but as McDavid's finite prime rolls on, it'd be pleasant to see him decide to take over games,"
"In that clip, he's already at top speed by the time he leaves his own zone, takes a hand-off at center ice, and skates through and around three Penguins to punish his old pal Stuart Skinner. If that goal looks familiar, maybe you are thinking of his goal against the Maple Leafs three days prior. An already-cruising McDavid accelerated almost cartoonishly, drawing gasps from the Toronto crowd and earning a downright silly amount of space to finish the play."
Connor McDavid began the season with only three goals in his first 14 games, appearing more focused on setting up teammates than scoring. He then erupted, scoring 20 goals in 23 games and 12 in his last 10, dramatically increasing his goal production. Several goals demonstrate his elite top speed, including a two-goal performance against Vegas where a defender fell trying to keep pace, a play through three Penguins after a center-ice hand-off, and an almost-cartoonish acceleration past the Maple Leafs that created space to finish. His skating creates breakaways and makes opponents appear slow by comparison.
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