For nearly a quarter of a century, it was argued that no one would ever come close to Wayne Gretzky's records. However, twenty-three years after the retirement of La Merveille, some of its most spectacular brands are beginning to be threatened.

Of course, there's the regular-season record 894 goals that 780-hit Alex Ovechkin seems to have his sights set on. However, it will take the Capitals forward at least four more productive campaigns to top him.

In the shorter term, in barely a month, we could witness a historic moment. Actively participating in Thursday night's elimination of the Flames, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl brought the Oilers halfway to the Stanley Cup journey, a milestone that representatives of the Alberta capital had not reached since 2006 .

In doing so, the two thieves also crossed the halfway mark of the record 47 points in a single spring, a mark set by Gretzky during the Oilers' second conquest, in 1985.

No one has come close to that mark except Gretzky himself (in 1988) and Mario Lemieux (in 1991). Since Gretzky's 40 points, this time in a Kings uniform (in 1993), Evgeni Malkin, in 2009, is the one who has obtained the most successful series, with a harvest of 36 points, in 2009.

An exorbitant average

Gold McDavid and Draisaitl point at the top of the markers with 26 points each and still two laps to play. Obviously, to hope to surpass the legendary number 99, the duo will have to reach the final round.

What's even more implausible about Gretzky's record is that he recorded his 47 points in just 18 games. This year's Oilers have already played 12. That's where Gretzky's greatness comes into its own.

While Police Academy 2 was a box office hit and We Are the World topped the charts, Gretzky was racking up points at a rate of 2.61 per game. By way of comparison, even if they outrageously dominate their peers. McDavid and Draisaitl are averaging 2.17 points per game.

Still, it's worth mentioning that only Gretzky (twice), Lemieux, Mark Messier and Rick Middleton managed to collect at least 26 points in the first 12 games of their playoff run.

Better than The Marvel

The two Oilers forwards will have to continue producing at the same rate, and even a little more, to blow the back of the former captain of the team. Nevertheless, Draisaitl can already boast of having done better than him for a series.

By being an accomplice to four goals on Thursday night, the German set a record for the most assists in a single series. His 15 assists relegated to oblivion the 14 of Gretzky (1985, in 6 games) and Rick Middleton (1983, in 7 games).

The old mark for a five-game showdown had belonged to Gretzky (13) since 1987. The Ontarian also held the points record for a five-game streak (15), a mark that Draisaitl also lowered with his 17 points.

Moreover, Draisaitl became the first player to collect at least three points in five consecutive series games. He is only one game away from the absolute record, regular season and series combined, shared by Jari Kurri (1992-93), Gretzky (1985-86) and Bobby Orr (1970-71).

Because of this record hunt, the Oilers' journey will be one of the most interesting to follow. The good news is that, starting with the conference finals, games should be shown starting at 8 p.m.

The biggest harvests in series

Highest average points per game (at least 10 games)

Most points in a single series

* The old record for a five-game streak belonged to Wayne Gretzky (15) in 1987.

Most passes in a single series

*The old record for a five-game series belonged to Wayne Gretzky (13) in 1987.

With 26 points, Draisaitl now has 50 in 32 playoff games. Only three players have reached this plateau faster than him: