Mackinnon and the McDavid question: a five-point night that changed the race
April 9, 2026 ET — mackinnon is the name hovering over a bigger question after Connor McDavid’s latest outburst: if a player can control a game this completely, what more is the Hart Trophy supposed to reward? McDavid scored three goals and added two assists in Edmonton’s 5-2 win over San Jose, a result that pushed the Oilers into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division.
What did McDavid actually do to tilt the game?
Verified fact: McDavid recorded his 15th career hat trick and finished with five points. He scored once on the power play in the first period and twice in the second, while also setting up power-play goals by Vasily Podkolzin and Jack Roslovic. Edmonton scored on all three power-play chances, its best performance in that area since Leon Draisaitl went down with a lower-body injury on March 15.
Informed analysis: The shape of the night mattered as much as the totals. Edmonton was not merely surviving; it was dictating terms. That matters because the Oilers had been 3 for 27 on the power play in the stretch after Draisaitl’s injury. A sudden correction in efficiency, paired with McDavid’s direct involvement in every major scoring sequence, turned a division race into a statement win.
Why does this win matter beyond one scoreboard?
Verified fact: The victory gave Edmonton 90 points, two more than Vegas in the division race, with the Golden Knights holding one game in hand. San Jose’s regulation loss left its playoff hopes damaged, as the Sharks remained three points behind Nashville and two behind Los Angeles for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Informed analysis: This is where mackinnon enters the larger frame, not as a player in this game but as part of the league-wide comparison that follows McDavid every night he produces at this level. The Hart Trophy conversation is not only about total points. It is also about value, timing, and whether one player’s performance can keep a team in command when circumstances tighten. McDavid’s latest game sharpened that debate rather than settling it.
Is the Hart Trophy race becoming less about totals and more about context?
Verified fact: McDavid leads the league with 133 points and needs three goals in the final three games for his second career 50-goal season. The competing names in the Hart Trophy discussion include Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, and San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini.
Verified fact: In the 11 games McDavid has played without Draisaitl, he has 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points, while Edmonton has scored 37 goals in that span and gone 7-3-1. That stretch is the clearest evidence in the available record that McDavid has been central to the Oilers’ offense during a difficult run.
Informed analysis: The significance is not hidden: when the margin for error shrinks, McDavid remains the engine. But the presence of Mackinnon in the award conversation underscores how voters may weigh team impact against individual production. McDavid’s numbers are extreme; the argument against him, if there is one, must now be made in the language of context rather than statistics alone.
Who is helped, and who is exposed, by this result?
Verified fact: Connor Ingram made eight saves on 10 shots in two periods for Edmonton, and Tristan Jarry stopped all four shots he faced in the third. For San Jose, Alex Nedeljkovic made 21 saves. Macklin Celebrini scored his 42nd goal and reached 108 points, the third-most for a teenager behind Wayne Gretzky’s 137 and Sidney Crosby’s 120.
Informed analysis: Edmonton benefits immediately in the standings, but the bigger exposure is on the teams chasing it. San Jose’s loss made its path narrower, even with games remaining. For the Oilers, the night suggested that the team can still generate elite offense even when a key contributor is absent. For McDavid, it strengthened the case that his value is not theoretical; it is visible in the game state itself.
Accountability conclusion: The public record from this game is unusually clear. McDavid produced a five-point performance, Edmonton cashed in on every power play chance, and the Oilers moved to the top of the Pacific Division. What remains open is how the league should define value when one player carries both the scoring load and the late-season pressure. If the Hart Trophy is meant to capture influence, then the evidence here forces a serious look at McDavid, Mackinnon, and the standard used to separate them.
