Two sets of linemates could make NHL history this season!

It’s been close to 25 years since anyone has reached 130 points in an NHL season. The last time it was accomplished, both Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr managed did it at the same time in 1995-1996. They were just the fourth pair of linemates in NHL history to accomplish the feat, and the first that didn’t include one of the players being named Wayne Gretzky. That could change this season with two sets of linemates with two different teams on pace for the unique accomplishment: Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and Boston’s Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.

At the moment, McDavid and Draisaitl likely have the best chance of the two pairs. They are on pace for 149 and 146 points respectively. That’s according to Hockey-Reference.com’s adjusted points total. Marchand and Pastrnak aren’t too far behind, being on pace for 133 and 130 points. Each team has more than 50 games left in the season, and each player has scored a point or more in 74 percent of their team’s games played this season. Impressive!

Certainly worth noting is the fact that goaltending, looking purely at stats, is as good as it’s been in the history of the NHL. Six players put up 130 points or more in 1992-93, but they did it against goaltenders averaging a save percentage of 88.5 percent across the league. This season’s numbers are closer to 91 percent.

Even an individual scoring 130 points in an NHL season is a huge feat. It’s only happened 49 times in the long history of the league, and just 23 players have been involved. Gretzky did it 13 times, Lemieux six times, Phil Esposito four times and Marcel Dionne three times. Other than these guys, no one did it more than twice. However, should either, or both, combinations of McDavid and McDavid or Marchand and Pastrnak accomplish the feat, they will have carved out an extremely unique spot in NHL history and most definitely have a season that will be remembered for a very long time.