Oilers' Connor McDavid has 401 career goals, but insists scoring doesn't come easy to him
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Connor McDavid kept a straight face while making a curious revelation to a group of reporters after surpassing 400 career goals. “Goal scoring is something that has not come easy to me,” the Edmonton Oilers star said Tuesday night after scoring twice in a 5-2 win over Utah , giving him 401. “It’s something that I work at, something that I focus on," McDavid added.
"I set a goal at the beginning of the year: trying to shoot more pucks. ” Jack Roslovic, who also had two goals in the win, couldn’t believe McDavid's claim that he's not a natural at scoring. When asked if he agreed, Roslovic looked incredulous and scoffed: “No comment.
” Roslovic says his team, which moved into second place in the Pacific Division, follows the longest tenured captain in Oilers history even if he doesn’t say a lot. “It’s just the hustle. Everyone watches him, knows what he’s doing, and it’s inspiring, humbling, motivating,” the center said.
McDavid became the fifth player in Oilers history to reach 400 goals when he took a feed from Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard and beat Karel Vejmelka with 7:53 left in the second period. The go-ahead goal was his 39th of the season and put Edmonton in front 3-2. He scored his 401st goal and 40th of the season on an empty-netter with 7.
5 seconds remaining. McDavid is a three-time winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP — one of only two unanimous winners, along with Wayne Gretzky — and is known for his extraordinary quickness, recently hitting a top on-ice speed of 24. 61 mph in a game.