McDavid, Draisaitl try to reach 50 points with Oilers before Thanksgiving

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have feasted on opposing goalies all season, and each Edmonton Oilers forward has a chance to join exclusive company before Thanksgiving.

Draisaitl, who has an NHL-leading 48 points (16 goals, 32 assists), and McDavid, who is second in the League with 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists), can become the first NHL players to have 50 points before Thanksgiving since the 1992-93 season, when the Oilers play the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ALT, SNW, NHL.TV ).
Though that mark has been reached 10 times before Thanksgiving, it's been accomplished by three players, and two are all-time greats.
According to #NHLstats, Wayne Gretzky, the leading scorer in NHL history with 2,857 points (894 goals, 1,963 assists), did it seven times, his highest total coming in the 1983-84 season, when he had 68 points (28 goals, 40 assists) in 23 games before Nov. 24. Mario Lemieux, eighth on the all-time scoring list with 1,723 points (690 goals, 1,033 assists), did it twice. He's also the most recent to hit the mark, scoring 61 points (26 goals, 35 assists) in 24 games before Nov. 26.

The other player to accomplish the feat is Bernie Nicholls, who had 54 points (28 goals, 26 assists) in 22 games during the 1988-89 season for the Los Angeles Kings before Nov. 24.
Draisaitl, who has points in 23 of his 26 games this season, has 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) in his past 16 games. He had five points (all assists) in a win against the Avalanche on Nov. 14 and has three or more points in eight games.
McDavid, who has points in 21 of 26 games this season, has 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in his past 16 games since going pointless in three straight games. He had six points (three goals, three assists) in the win against the Avalanche on Nov. 14 and has three or more points in a game eight times.
Denis Savard of the Chicago Blackhawks is the player to come closest to 50 points before Thanksgiving without getting there. He had 47 points (13 goals, 34 assists) heading into Chicago's game against the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 25, 1987, which was the day before Thanksgiving, and had two assists to reach 49 points. He scored a goal against the Edmonton Oilers to reach 50 points the day after Thanksgiving.