Joe Malone has the fewest games with more than 0 games played and 40+ points in a season, with 20 games in his rookie season in 1917-18.

fewest games by a player to reach 40 or more points in an NHL season

	NAME	GP	P	SEASON	TM	G	A	+/-	PIM	PPG	PPA	SHG	SHA	GWG	OTG	S	S%	FOW	FO	FOW%	HIT	BKS	TKA	GVA	TOI/GP
1	Joe Malone J. Malone	20	48	1917-18	MTL	44	4		30					4	1
2	Cy Denneny C. Denneny	21	46	1917-18	SEN	36	10		80					2	0
3	Cy Denneny C. Denneny	22	40	1921-22	SEN	28	12		20					2	0
4	Newsy Lalonde N. Lalonde	23	47	1919-20	MTL	37	10		34					5	1
5	Frank Nighbor F. Nighbor	23	42	1919-20	SEN	26	16		20					6	1
6	Punch Broadbent P. Broadbent	24	45	1921-22	SEN	31	14		28					5	2
7	Cy Denneny C. Denneny	24	41	1920-21	SEN	34	7		10					4	0
8	Babe Dye B. Dye	24	40	1920-21	TOT	35	5		32					6	0
9	Newsy Lalonde N. Lalonde	24	43	1920-21	MTL	33	10		36					6	0
10	Joe Malone J. Malone	24	49	1919-20	QBD	39	10		12					2	1
11	Aurel Joliat A. Joliat	25	42	1924-25	MTL	30	12		81					6	1
12	Mario Lemieux M. Lemieux	26	45	1990-91	PIT	19	26	+8	30	6	7	1	0	2	0	89	21.3
13	Nathan MacKinnon N. MacKinnon	28	48	2025-26	COL	24	24	+35	12	6	5	0	0	3	1	127	18.9	275	575	47.8	20	18	8	46	21:36
14	Macklin Celebrini M. Celebrini	29	40	2025-26	SJS	14	26	+3	18	4	11	0	0	3	2	78	17.9	211	444	47.5	16	17	14	45	20:14
15	Connor McDavid C. McDavid	29	42	2025-26	EDM	14	28	-6	14	5	13	0	1	1	0	87	16.1	141	297	47.5	10	10	12	45	22:39
16	Syl Apps S. Apps	29	40	1942-43	TOR	23	17		2	5	1	1	0	5	0
17	Cy Denneny C. Denneny	29	41	1924-25	SEN	27	14		16					5	2
18	Babe Dye B. Dye	29	46	1924-25	TSP	38	8		38					8	0
19	Denis Potvin D. Potvin	31	41	1979-80	NYI	8	33	+13	44	4	10	0	2	0	0	98	8.2
20	Bill Cowley B. Cowley	34	42	1938-39	BOS	8	34		2	0	1	0	0	1	0
21	Ziggy Palffy Z. Palffy	35	41	2003-04	LAK	16	25	+18	12	3	14	3	1	2	1	109	14.7	0	7	0.0	16	17	24	37	21:32
22	Gary Roberts G. Roberts	35	42	1995-96	CGY	22	20	+15	78	9	7	0	0	5	0	84	26.2
23	Sidney Crosby S. Crosby	36	56	2012-13	PIT	15	41	+26	16	3	14	0	0	1	0	124	12.1	453	834	54.3	21	18	15	28	21:06
24	Doug Bentley D. Bentley	36	40	1945-46	CHI	19	21		16	5	6	0	0	2	0
25	Bill Cowley B. Cowley	36	71	1943-44	BOS	30	41		12	3	3	0	0	4	0