After laying an egg for 40 minutes against Buffalo and costing themselves the chance at a second point, the Edmonton Oilers were back in action for a rematch against the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings took the first game 4-2 back in October, and there was no better time than a frosty Thursday night in Edmonton for the Oilers to repay the favour. And with Detroit rolling into Rogers Place for the second half of a back-to-back set, our boys controlled the pace of the game right from the opening draw, muscling their way to a 4-1 win. Unlike what we got against the Sabres, Edmonton didn’t need an invitation to take control of the game this time.

Don’t you think the mood around here is a little bit lighter when Zach Hyman is scoring goals? I do. If there’s one thing this city loves, it’s a guy who busts his ass on a nightly basis, and effort is something you never have to worry about when ZMH is on the ice. That’s why you love to see him starting to get rewarded with some goals after needing time to get back up to speed following six months off the ice. Over the last few weeks, Zach Hyman has started to look a lot more like Zach Hyman, and there’s no better proof than the five goals he’s scored in his last six games. That’s more like the pace we’re used to seeing from the best free-agent signing of all time. That’s our man being our man again.

Sometimes the Hockey Gods reward perseverance, and Thursday’s hat trick was a great example. Even though we’re only talking about goals three through five on the season, it felt like Hyman popping three and having the hats rain down was a long time coming. The guy battled for months to get back into a position to score his sixth career hat trick, and that made for a special result, even if it was “only” a Thursday game in December. After getting bumped out of the Western Conference Final, undergoing wrist surgery, and missing the first month of the season, a night like that must have felt incredible. Hyman has given everything he has to this team since the day he signed, and if the Oilers are going to keep climbing out of the hole they dug for themselves, they’re going to need him to keep on giving.

With the four assists he picked up against the Red Wings, Connor McDavid has amassed an incredible 18 points (7G, 11A) in his last 10 games. That’s ridiculous, and we should all take a moment to remember it. Right now, we’re waist-deep in a McDavid heater that has him putting up points at a cheat code level, and it’s almost unbelievable how unstoppable he is when he gets into these zones. It’s like time slows down for him or something. I can only imagine he’s seeing the ice like the scene in The Matrix, when Neo sees the world in code and stops bullets with his mind. And when McDavid is rolling like this, it’s almost hilarious to think that there are ever moments we question what he’s doing out there.

The scary part for everyone else is that this still doesn’t feel like the ceiling. We talk about McDavid like we’ve already seen every trick he has in his bag, but casual four-point nights like this suggest we’re on the road to even bigger numbers, and more nights when the game seems to bend completely to his will. When he’s truly unlocked Game Genie mode, it feels less like he’s reacting to what’s happening and more like he’s directing it, pulling defenders into bad decisions before they even realize they’ve made one. If scoring 18 points in 10 games is what happens when he’s just getting hot, then it won’t be long until we’re watching games when he starts feeling inevitable. It may have taken Connor a little bit longer to get going than he’d probably like, but now that he’s here, I’m very much looking forward to watching him make grown men look ridiculous in the coming days, weeks, and months.

Can I ask a question? Is this a safe space? I can’t be the only one who was worried about Mattias Ekholm early in the season, can I? Even though I know we all love our Big Viking Daddy, he didn’t look like the same guy who stabilized the blue line after being brought over from Nashville in the Tyson Barrie trade. He didn’t look like it in the Stanley Cup Final, and he didn’t look like it early this season. That’s not to say I was nervous about his ability to turn things around, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about whether Father Time had started to catch up with him. Not the best thoughts to have rolling around in your mind in the weeks following his contract extension, you know?

The good news is that Mattias Ekholm has really started to turn things around. While we heard about the significance of his groin injury, it’s hard to know precisely how hurt he was, given that the organization isn’t exactly forthcoming or accurate with its injury updates. But from my side of the TV screen, it sure looks like he was far more banged up than we realized. Either that, or he didn’t get much time to recover this summer, or there was some other factor keeping him from looking like the player we’re seeing now. With the goal he scored at the 2:46 mark of the second period, Ekholm has sneakily put up nine points (2G, 7A) in his last eight games while hovering around his usual 20 minutes a night. Not too shabby for a guy some folks thought was washed, amirite?

We’re heading back to Las Vegas for the next Nation Vacation, March 24–27, and you’re invited to join the ultimate hockey fan getaway. Trip packages start at $2,400, with the option to secure your spot for just 20% down. Enjoy roundtrip flights, a premium three-night stay at Circa Resort & Casino, access to Stadium Swim, exclusive watch parties, a Nation Citizens pool party, a party bus to T-Mobile Arena, and food and drinks included at the Edmonton vs. Vegas game. Multiple travel options mean you can book the trip your way—so lock in your spot now at nationgear.ca and come be part of the chaos in Vegas!