Connor McDavid's dominance against the Vancouver Canucks is a well-documented NHL phenomenon, but recent trends suggest that this historical edge should be a growing concern for the Vancouver Canucks and their fans. While McDavid continues to be a potent offensive force, a deeper look at the numbers reveals some worrying signs for the Canucks.
Throughout his career, McDavid has consistently elevated his game when facing Vancouver. In 43 career games against the Canucks, McDavid has accumulated 24 goals and 45 assists, totaling 69 points. This scoring pace is higher than his average against most other teams in the league, establishing the Canucks as a favorable matchup for the Oilers captain. To put it in perspective, McDavid amasses more points against the Canucks than any other opponent he has faced.
However, a closer examination of McDavid's recent performances against Vancouver paints a slightly different picture. In his last 10 games versus the Canucks, McDavid has recorded 2 goals and 12 assists. While these numbers are still respectable, they indicate a slight dip in his goal-scoring output against this particular opponent. Furthermore, in a recent game, McDavid was held off the scoresheet and registered zero shot attempts, marking only the sixth time in his career that he has been kept without a shot.
The Canucks' penalty-killing struggles have become an early-season concern. They have allowed nine goals on 34 opportunities and rank 22nd in the league with a 73.5% penalty kill percentage.
The Oilers have had a slow start to the 2025-26 season, and McDavid's individual performance reflects this. While he leads the team with 11 points, he only has one goal to his name. Despite averaging over 24 minutes of ice time in five of the first nine games, McDavid has not been able to find the back of the net with his usual frequency.
The Canucks will need to find a way to contain McDavid if they hope to compete with the Oilers. Whether this involves deploying a shutdown defensive pairing, limiting his time and space with aggressive forechecking, or capitalizing on the Oilers' defensive vulnerabilities remains to be seen. Otherwise, McDavid's historical dominance may very well continue, further solidifying the Canucks' status as a prime target for his offensive prowess.
