Connor McDavid’s Scoring Surge: Unleashing His Speed and Skill
With only three goals in his first 14 games, Connor McDavid seemed to be having one of those seasons where he focused more on setting up his teammates than scoring himself. However, as his finite prime rolls on, it’s thrilling to see him decide to take over games like he used to when he was scoring 40 or 64 goals. McDavid’s recent performance has been a testament to his exceptional skill and speed, leaving fans and opponents alike in awe.
Since scoring three goals in 14 games, McDavid has scored 20 goals in his last 23 games, and 12 in his last 10. This surge in scoring is a result of him metaphorically turning on the jets, often by (also metaphorically) turning on the jets. His speed and agility on the ice have allowed him to create scoring opportunities that didn’t exist before, making him a formidable opponent for any team.
McDavid opened the scoring with his first of two goals in Sunday’s 4-3 Edmonton win over Vegas, and if you pause the video right at the zone entry, the Knights aren’t set up too badly. However, anyone would look flat-footed compared to McDavid’s head of steam, and Jeremy Lauzon falls down trying to keep up with him. This goal is a prime example of McDavid’s speed and agility, as he leaves the opposing team’s defense in the dust.
McDavid’s Speed and Agility
If this goal looks oddly familiar, you might be thinking of McDavid’s goal from Tuesday against Pittsburgh. 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. This goal showcases McDavid’s ability to accelerate and decelerate quickly, making him a nightmare to defend against.
Another example of McDavid’s speed and agility is 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. He’s basically the only player who can create his own breakaways by skating forward, making him a unique and exciting player to watch.
The Data Behind McDavid’s Speed
This is basically the quintessential Connor McDavid viewing experience—he doesn’t even look like he’s moving particularly fast, but rather that everyone else on the ice looks like they’re in slow motion by comparison. It’s like one of the Quicksilver scenes from the X-Men movies. The player tracking data backs up the eye test, with McDavid’s top speed this season being about 12 percent faster than the average forward. The average forward has topped 22 mph twice so far this year; McDavid has done it 68 times. On opening night in October, he reached 24.6 mph, still the fastest burst of anyone all season, and the second-fastest since they started tracking that data in 2021.
According to data from the NHL, McDavid’s speed and agility are a result of his exceptional skating ability, which allows him to handle the puck at high speeds. This combination of speed and skill makes him one of the most dominant players in the league, and a joy to watch for fans. As McDavid continues to play at an elite level, it will be exciting to see how he continues to use his speed and agility to create scoring opportunities and lead his team to victory.
