McDavid Reaches 401 Goals Despite Claiming Scoring ‘Doesn’t Come Easy’

Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid hit the 401-goal milestone Tuesday night in a win over Utah, but surprised reporters by insisting he's not a natural scorer. The three-time MVP says he has to work hard at goal-scoring and made it a focus this season to shoot the puck more often.

SALT LAKE CITY — Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid delivered a surprising statement to media members Tuesday evening after reaching a major career milestone, claiming that finding the back of the net has never been effortless for him.

Following his two-goal performance in Edmonton’s 5-2 victory against Utah, which brought his career total to 401 goals, McDavid maintained a serious expression while addressing reporters about his achievement.

“Goal scoring is something that has not come easy to me,” McDavid stated after the game. “It’s something that I work at, something that I focus on. I set a goal at the beginning of the year: trying to shoot more pucks.”

Teammate Jack Roslovic, who also netted two goals in Tuesday’s victory, appeared stunned by McDavid’s assertion about his scoring abilities. When reporters asked if he shared McDavid’s assessment, Roslovic responded with disbelief, simply saying: “No comment.”

According to Roslovic, the team, which climbed to second place in the Pacific Division standings, draws inspiration from their captain’s work ethic, even though McDavid isn’t particularly vocal as a leader.

“It’s just the hustle. Everyone watches him, knows what he’s doing, and it’s inspiring, humbling, motivating,” Roslovic explained.

McDavid joined an exclusive group as the fifth player in franchise history to score 400 goals when he converted a pass from Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard, defeating goaltender Karel Vejmelka with 7:53 remaining in the middle period.

That breakthrough goal marked his 39th of the current season and gave Edmonton a 3-2 advantage. McDavid added his 401st career goal and 40th of the season by scoring into an empty net with just 7.5 seconds left on the clock.

The superstar center has claimed the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP three times and stands as one of only two players to win the award unanimously, joining Wayne Gretzky in that distinction. McDavid has gained recognition for his exceptional skating ability, recently clocking a maximum on-ice speed of 24.61 mph during a game.

“Of course, there’s his speed, but I don’t think he gets enough credit for his shot,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “He is dangerous when he gets off the circles and he’s got a great release and is so difficult to check. He’s so determined to get to the net.”

Despite his goal-scoring prowess, McDavid views himself primarily as someone who sets up teammates for success. He has accumulated 1,200 career points, becoming the third-fastest player in NHL history to reach that benchmark behind only Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. McDavid sits one assist away from reaching 800 career helpers.

“It’s a big number, obviously, and I feel like I got a lot of great years ahead of me still, which is exciting,” said McDavid, who was selected first overall in the 2015 draft. “These milestones are just a nice time to reflect and I’m just very grateful to have played with so many great players.”

Several teammates acknowledge that McDavid’s performances can be so spectacular that it becomes tempting to simply observe rather than participate.

“He’s amazing,” Roslovic commented. “Just really cool for him, obviously, to do that, and then for us to be able to be a part of it and to be able to watch is special.”