By Canadian Press

NHL Takeaways: Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid in tight battle

Dec 12, 2016 | 9:00 AM

Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid are duking it out for NHL supremacy.

The race, which will likely include the Art Ross and Hart trophies by season’s end, is too close to call, even if it likely favours the Pittsburgh Penguins captain.

McDavid, for starters, has met the sky-high expectations for his sophomore NHL season, first in NHL scoring with 39 points in his first 31 games. He’s gone from 1.07 points per-game as a rookie to 1.26 per-game for the Oilers, his even-strength production (assists and points) spiking on a per-minute basis alongside his individual puck possession numbers (55 per cent).

The 19-year-old, who is one of the youngest players in the league, has been terrific.

But Crosby is still tops, putting together a 2016 that’s without compare. Since Jan. 1, Crosby has a league-best 89 points in only 66 games (1.35 per-game), bettering the next closest player (Patrick Kane) by 11 points despite playing in seven fewer games. He’s also No. 1 with 47 goals in that span, including a league-leading 20 in 22 games this season, heading into Monday’s play.

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Crosby, despite starting the year two weeks late, is fourth in the scoring race (31 points) and first with 1.41 points per-game. The Penguins are generating 63 per cent of available scoring chances (even-strength) when their captain is on the ice, the best mark of any forward in the league (minimum 10 games).

ALL-STAR ALERT

They didn’t crack the top-five in the first count of all-star voting, but these players (two from each division) deserve some votes if current trends persist:

Devan Dubnyk (Central): One could argue that Dubnyk, and not Carey Price, has been the league’s top goalie this season. The Minnesota Wild netminder tops the NHL with a .946 overall save percentage, .955 even-strength save percentage, 1.63 goals against average and four shutouts.

Mark Scheifele (Central): Scheifele’s production has spiked each season since he entered the league for good in 2013, from 34 points as a rookie to 49 as a sophomore (plus-15) to 61 last year (plus-11). The Jets forward is on pace for a 15-point bump this year, currently with 28 points in 29 games for Winnipeg.

Nikita Kucherov (Atlantic): On track for career-highs in essentially every offensive category, Kucherov has mustered 13 goals and 30 points (20 at even-strength) in 28 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

David Pastrnak (Atlantic): The Boston forward has already set a new career-high with 18 goals in 24 games, doing so in half the time of last season’s 15-goal campaign (51 games). The 20-year-old, with 24 points, will soon eclipse the career-best 27 points of his rookie year.

Brandon Saad (Metropolitan): Playing primarily alongside Nick Foligno and Alexander Wennberg in Columbus, Saad has collected 22 points (all at even-strength) and 57 per cent puck possession mark in 26 games. The 24-year-old is on track to shatter the career-high 53 points he posted last year.

Wayne Simmonds (Metropolitan): Perpetually overlooked as a scorer, Simmonds is tussling with Crosby, Pastrnak and the Jets’ Patrik Laine for the NHL goals lead, currently with 15 in 30 games. His eight power-play goals for the Flyers top the NHL and since 2011, only Alex Ovechkin has more.

Chad Johnson (Pacific): Calgary was expecting a new No. 1 to solidifiy their crease this season, just not this guy. A Calgary native, Johnson has surged past Brian Elliott for top spot in the Flames crease, boasting a 13-4-1 record, three shutouts, a .932 save percentage and 1.98 save percentage thus far.

Leon Draisaitl (Pacific): Draisaitl gets lost in the McDavid shadow, but he’s become a real secondary force in the Oilers lineup. The 21-year-old’s even-strength production is about in line with last year’s impressive rookie campaign. What’s changed is the power play. Draisaitl already has a career-best 11 points and 26 total points in 31 games.

CROSBY CRUISES TO 20

Crosby has never scored 20 goals in his NHL career faster than this season. He’s only come close to this pace twice before, reaching 20 goals in 27 games during the 2010-11 season and 30 games one season earlier.

The 29-year-old has now had 10 20-goal seasons in his NHL career.

ONE-GOAL GAMES

The NHL’s best team so far in one-goal games? The surging Calgary Flames, who boast a 10-1-2 mark.

BEST AND WORST PAIRS

The five most effective defence pairings this season (some with easier minutes than others, some no longer together), according to the Corsica Hockey website:

1. Justin Schultz/Ian Cole (Pittsburgh): 56.8 per cent

2. Torey Krug/Adam McQuaid (Boston): 56.7

3. Brooks Orpik/Nate Schmidt (Washington): 56.2

4. Mark Giordano/Dougie Hamilton (Calgary): 56

5. Jake Muzzin/Alec Martinez (Los Angeles): 55.9

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The five least effective:

1. Josh Gorges/Rasmus Ristolainen (Buffalo): 41 per cent

2. Nick Leddy/Travis Hamonic (New York): 41.7

3. Dan Girardi/Ryan McDonagh (New York): 43

4. Dennis Seidenberg/Calvin de Haan (New York): 43

5. Ryan Suter/Jared Spurgeon (Minnesota): 44.7

*Min. 200 even-strength minutes

(All statistics entering play on Monday)

Jonas Siegel, The Canadian Press