The Art Ross Trophy, awarded to the player with the most points at the end of an NHL season comes down to the final day of the season, April 18. Three of the biggest stars in the game have been fighting for superiority for most of the campaign.
Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers has won each of the past three scoring races and the Art Ross five times in his nine-season NHL career. Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, in his 10th NHL season, won the trophy in 2018-19.
The Race
- Nikita Kucherov – 136 points (43 goals, 93 assists).
- Nathan MacKinnon – 131 points (48 goals, 83 assists).
- Connor McDavid – 128 points (31 goals, 97 assists).
The Skinny
Kucherov: The Tampa Bay forward had three assists Saturday, including two in the third period to build his lead. Nikita has points in 19 of his last 20 matches (42 points; seven goals, 35 assists). He has 51 points more than Brayden Point, who is second on the Lightning with 85.
Games remaining: 5
Next game: Tuesday vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET; ABC, BSSUN, BSOH)
MacKinnon: The Avalanche centre had one assist in a 6-2 defeat at the Edmonton Oilers Friday. MacKinnon has eight points (three goals, five assists) in his last four matches and 46 points (16 goals, 30 assists) in his past 24 games.
Nathan is eight points behind Peter Stastny for the Avalanche / Quebec Nordiques record for points in a campaign. Peter had 139 points (46 goals, 93 assists) in 1981 -82 with Quebec. MacKinnon needs two goals for his first 50-goal season and to become the sixth player in franchise history to attain that plateau.
Games remaining: 6
Next game: Sunday vs. Dallas Stars (10 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN).
McDavid: The Oilers captain had two goals against the Avalanche on Friday, becoming the fourth player in Edmonton history with eight straight 30-goal seasons, joining Jari Kurri (10 from 1980-81 to 1989-90).
Wayne Gretzky (nine from 1979-80 to 1987 – 88) and Glen Anderson (eight from 1980 -81 to 1987-88).
Games remaining: 7
Next game: Saturday at Calgary Flames (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SNE, SNO, SNW, TVAS2).
