History · NHL
Connor McDavid and the NHL’s 10 Highest-Scoring Eight-Game Starts
McDavid’s 23 points tie for fourth through a player’s first eight appearances. Compare the 10 leading starts, their season finishes and honors.
Connor McDavid’s six goals and 17 assists gave him 23 points through his first eight appearances of 2026–27, tied for fourth in NHL history. Only three player-seasons produced more points through eight appearances. All three belong to Mario Lemieux.
-
NO.102026–27
Connor McDavid
Edmonton Oilers23Points / 8 GPTied 4th by points
Connor McDavid after his second goal against Utah on October 17, 2026.NHL / Sportsnet, video still McDavid reached 20 points in his eighth game, the fastest start to that milestone since Lemieux needed seven games in 1995–96. He ended Game 8 with 23 points.
Player statistics Regular seasonSample GP G A P P/GP First 8 appearances 8 6 17 23 2.88 Full season Season in progress Team record Regular seasonSample GP Record · W–L–OTL PTS After player’s 8thOct. 17, 2026 8 6–1–1 13 Full season Season in progress OTL = overtime/shootout losses.Season resultEdmonton’s final regular-season record and playoff result are not yet determined.
Awards & recognitionSeason awards not yet decided.
Statistics, season and image sources
NHL player game logNHL team recordNHL playoff resultsNHL player awards
-
NO.91984–85
Brent Sutter
New York Islanders23Points / 8 GPTied 4th by points
Archival photo: Brent Sutter in the Islanders’ 1983–84 photo issue.Unknown photographer / New York Islanders photo issue, via Wikimedia Commons Sutter and teammate Mike Bossy each had 23 points after eight appearances. Sutter finished with 102 points in 72 games.
Player statistics Regular seasonSample GP G A P P/GP First 8 appearances 8 8 15 23 2.88 Full season 72 42 60 102 1.42 Team record Regular seasonSample GP Record · W–L–T PTS After player’s 8thOct. 27, 1984 8 5–3–0 10 Full season 80 40–34–6 86 Season resultLost to the Philadelphia Flyers 4–1 in the division final (second round).
Awards & recognition- 1985 NHL All-Star Game
Statistics, season and image sources
NHL player game logNHL team recordNHL playoff resultsNHL player awardsNHL playoff seriesNHL season honor record
-
NO.81979–80
Marcel Dionne
Los Angeles Kings23Points / 8 GPTied 4th by points
Marcel Dionne in the 1979–80 Dimanche/Dernière Heure photo issue.Unknown photographer / Dimanche–Dernière Heure photo issue, via Wikimedia Commons Dionne followed his 23-point start with an Art Ross Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Award. His final total was 137 points.
Player statistics Regular seasonSample GP G A P P/GP First 8 appearances 8 8 15 23 2.88 Full season 80 53 84 137 1.71 Team record Regular seasonSample GP Record · W–L–T PTS After player’s 8thOct. 24, 1979 8 4–3–1 9 Full season 80 30–36–14 74 Season resultLost to the New York Islanders 3–1 in the preliminary round.
Awards & recognition- Art Ross Trophy
- Lester B. Pearson Award
- NHL First All-Star Team
- NHL points co-leader
Statistics, season and image sources
NHL player game logNHL team recordNHL playoff resultsNHL player awardsNHL All-Star TeamsNHL playoff seriesNHL season leaders
-
NO.71984–85
Wayne Gretzky
Edmonton Oilers23Points / 8 GPTied 4th by points
Archival photo: Wayne Gretzky in the Oilers’ 1985–86 photo issue.Unknown photographer / Edmonton Oilers photo issue, via Wikimedia Commons Gretzky turned a 23-point opening into a 208-point regular season. He then won the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Player statistics Regular seasonSample GP G A P P/GP First 8 appearances 8 10 13 23 2.88 Full season 80 73 135 208 2.60 Team record Regular seasonSample GP Record · W–L–T PTS After player’s 8thOct. 24, 1984 8 6–0–2 14 Full season 80 49–20–11 109 Season resultWon the Stanley Cup, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4–1 in the Final.
Awards & recognition- Stanley Cup
- Art Ross Trophy
- Conn Smythe Trophy
- Hart Memorial Trophy
- Lester B. Pearson Award
- NHL First All-Star Team
- NHL goals leader
- NHL assists leader
Statistics, season and image sources
NHL player game logNHL team recordNHL playoff resultsNHL player awardsNHL All-Star TeamsNHL playoff seriesNHL season leaders
-
NO.61984–85
Mike Bossy
New York Islanders23Points / 8 GPTied 4th by points
Archival photo: Mike Bossy in the Islanders’ 1983–84 photo issue.Unknown photographer / New York Islanders photo issue, via Wikimedia Commons The Islanders have two 23-point entries from 1984–85. Bossy’s 12 goals put him ahead of Brent Sutter within that tied group.
Player statistics Regular seasonSample GP G A P P/GP First 8 appearances 8 12 11 23 2.88 Full season 76 58 59 117 1.54 Team record Regular seasonSample GP Record · W–L–T PTS After player’s 8thOct. 27, 1984 8 5–3–0 10 Full season 80 40–34–6 86 Season resultLost to the Philadelphia Flyers 4–1 in the division final (second round).
Awards & recognition- NHL Second All-Star Team
Statistics, season and image sources
NHL player game logNHL team recordNHL playoff resultsNHL player awardsNHL All-Star TeamsNHL playoff series
-
NO.51922–23
Babe Dye
Toronto St. Patricks23Points / 8 GPTied 4th by points
Archival photo: Babe Dye during his Toronto St. Patricks years in the 1920s.Unknown photographer, via Wikimedia Commons Dye had 16 goals through eight appearances, second only to Malone among these ten starts. He finished as the NHL’s goals and points leader.
Player statistics Regular seasonSample GP G A P P/GP First 8 appearances 8 16 7 23 2.88 Full season 22 27 12 39 1.77 Team record Regular seasonSample GP Record · W–L–T PTS After player’s 8thJan. 10, 1923 8 4–4–0 8 Full season 24 13–10–1 27 Season resultDid not qualify for the NHL playoffs.
Awards & recognition- NHL scoring leader
- NHL goals leader
Statistics, season and image sources
NHL player game logNHL team recordNHL playoff resultsNHL player awardsNHL playoff seriesNHL season leaders
-
NO.41917–18
Joe Malone
Montréal Canadiens23Points / 8 GPTied 4th by points
Archival photo: Joe Malone with the Montreal Canadiens, in an archival photograph dated before 1924.Unknown photographer, via Wikimedia Commons The NHL’s inaugural season supplies the oldest entry. Malone’s 21 goals are the highest opening-eight goal total in this countdown.
Player statistics Regular seasonSample GP G A P P/GP First 8 appearances 8 21 2 23 2.88 Full season 20 44 4 48 2.40 Team record Regular seasonSample GP Record · W–L–T PTS After player’s 8thJan. 19, 1918 9 7–2–0 14 Full season 22 13–9–0 26 The team had played 9 games when the player reached eight.Season resultLost the two-game NHL Final to Toronto, 10–7 on aggregate goals; the teams split the games 1–1.
Awards & recognition- NHL scoring leader
- NHL goals leader
Statistics, season and image sources
NHL player game logNHL team recordNHL playoff resultsNHL player awardsNHL playoff seriesNHL season leaders
-
NO.3
Mario Lemieux 1995–96
Pittsburgh Penguins27Points / 8 GPTied 2nd by points
Archival photo: Mario Lemieux in a photograph identified as 1992.Tony McCune / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Lemieux’s 17 assists match McDavid for the most among these ten openings. His 161-point finish brought another scoring title.
Player statistics Regular seasonSample GP G A P P/GP First 8 appearances 8 10 17 27 3.38 Full season 70 69 92 161 2.30 Team record Regular seasonSample GP Record · W–L–T PTS After player’s 8thNov. 1, 1995 9 5–2–2 12 Full season 82 49–29–4 102 The team had played 9 games when the player reached eight.Season resultLost to the Florida Panthers 4–3 in the Eastern Conference Final.
Awards & recognition- Art Ross Trophy
- Hart Memorial Trophy
- Lester B. Pearson Award
- NHL First All-Star Team
- NHL goals leader
- NHL assists co-leader
Statistics, season and image sources
NHL player game logNHL team recordNHL playoff resultsNHL player awardsNHL All-Star TeamsNHL playoff seriesNHL season leaders
-
NO.2
Mario Lemieux 1992–93
Pittsburgh Penguins27Points / 8 GPTied 2nd by points
Mario Lemieux in 1993 press-conference footage preserved in the NHL100 archive.NHL archive, video still This 27-point opening became a 160-point season in just 60 appearances. Lemieux won four individual trophies, including the Art Ross.
Player statistics Regular seasonSample GP G A P P/GP First 8 appearances 8 11 16 27 3.38 Full season 60 69 91 160 2.67 Team record Regular seasonSample GP Record · W–L–T PTS After player’s 8thOct. 22, 1992 8 6–0–2 14 Full season 84 56–21–7 119 Season resultLost to the New York Islanders 4–3 in the division final (second round).
Awards & recognition- Art Ross Trophy
- Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
- Hart Memorial Trophy
- Lester B. Pearson Award
- NHL First All-Star Team
Statistics, season and image sources
NHL player game logNHL team recordNHL playoff resultsNHL player awardsNHL All-Star TeamsNHL playoff series
-
NO.1
Mario Lemieux 1988–89
Pittsburgh Penguins31Points / 8 GPNo. 1 by points
Mario Lemieux in the Penguins’ 1988–89 Cameron Coca-Cola photo issue.Unknown photographer / Cameron Coca-Cola Penguins photo issue, via Wikimedia Commons Lemieux’s 31 points stand four clear of the next-best opening in this countdown. He finished the season one point short of 200.
Player statistics Regular seasonSample GP G A P P/GP First 8 appearances 8 15 16 31 3.88 Full season 76 85 114 199 2.62 Team record Regular seasonSample GP Record · W–L–T PTS After player’s 8thOct. 25, 1988 8 6–2–0 12 Full season 80 40–33–7 87 Season resultLost to the Philadelphia Flyers 4–3 in the division final (second round).
Awards & recognition- Art Ross Trophy
- NHL First All-Star Team
- NHL goals leader
- NHL assists co-leader
Statistics, season and image sources
NHL player game logNHL team recordNHL playoff resultsNHL player awardsNHL All-Star TeamsNHL playoff seriesNHL season leaders
Sources & scoring notes
Opening lines were calculated from official NHL game logs and checked against a second NHL statistics feed. The comparison covers 109 played seasons from 1917–18 through 2026–27, with games dated through October 18, 2026. McDavid’s eighth appearance was October 17. The NHL did not play a 2004–05 season.
Player and team finishes are regular-season totals. Team opening records are measured on the date of the player’s eighth appearance. For Lemieux in 1995–96 and Malone in 1917–18, that was the team’s ninth game. Older records use wins, losses and ties; McDavid’s current record uses wins, regulation losses and overtime/shootout losses.
Season honors identify awards or selections earned in the listed season. Early scoring and goal leaders are identified without assigning trophies that did not yet exist. McDavid’s 2026–27 season, playoff outcome and season awards remain undecided.
NHL Morning Skate, Oct. 18, 2026 · NHL Records · NHL Statistics
Sources and notes
- Official NHL individual game logs and skater statistics, team game logs and playoff-series records, NHL trophy histories and PHWA All-Star Teams. Scope: first eight regular-season player appearances, 1917–18 through 2026–27, source cutoff Oct. 18, 2026; McDavid eighth appearance Oct. 17. Per-entry links and historical image credits appear in the article. Cover: https://www.nhl.com/video/edm-uta-mcdavid-scores-goal-against-sebastian-cossa-6407038965112
