3 THINGS: Oilers crush Lightning

EDMONTON, AB -The Edmonton Oilers showed that when they're on their game, when they play with pace and execute, they can play with anyone in the League. They proved that in a 6-2 win over the team that currently sits at the very top of the NHL standings. Here are three things to take from that win.

1. MCDAVID MAGNIFICENT

What else can you say? Connor McDavid was brilliant and was the straw that stirred the drink against Tampa Bay. Right from the opening shift, you could just see he was on another level.

Head Coach Todd McLellan told his team they'd need to fire a ton of shots on net against the superb netminding of Andrei Vasilevskiy, and they'd chase him after four goals on 26 shots. McDavid led the way with nine shots on goal, with no other Oilers player logging more than three.
McDavid finished the game with four goals and an assist, but what was even more impressive was his speed. Numerous times McDavid would pick the puck up, take a few strides and he was gone - and not a soul could catch him.
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At one point, he faked a dump into his own zone, made a hard change in direction and was off to the races for yet another scoring opportunity.
"I just feel bad for everyone who has to defend him," said Oilers defenceman Matt Benning after the game. "He's so fast. He beats people with his speed, his smarts, his stick-handling. It's impressive. That's why he's the one of the best, if not the best, in the world."
With back-to-back multi-goal games, McDavid is now tied for third in league scoring with 61 points on the season.

2. POWER PLAY AND STROME COME ALIVE

Ahead of their victory over Tampa, the Oilers power play didn't have a goal in eight straight games. That changed against the Lightning as the Oilers got two on four opportunities.

Not only did the power play get going, but Ryan Strome was one of the players to help spark it with both first assists on the goals.
Strome now has five assists in his last three games, after a pointless stretch of 11 games. His confidence and play are on the uptick.

"Confident, playing hard," said McLellan. "I like him in the middle right now, feel good about putting him out in any situation, whether it's out against the other team's top players or a situation where we need a goal. I think him as the right-handed shot on the power play has helped a little bit. He's moving the puck quick, he's not afraid to shoot it. He just seems like a confident player right now, so that's a good thing for us."

3. TURNING THE CORNER?

It's been a weird stretch with a lot of time off for the Oilers, so one may overlook what they've done in their recent games. But thanks to that win against Tampa Bay, Edmonton now has a record of 5-1-1 in their last seven games, taking away 11 of a possible 14 points over that span.
When it comes to carrying momentum from one game to the next, Strome said after the win that they aren't just taking from the one against the Lightning, it's this entire stretch that's building something.

"I think we should carry our last five or six, to be honest with you," he said. "I think we've been really good. We didn't win that last game in overtime, but other than that we've been pretty solid… Things are going better now and in the right direction so we've just got to keep it going. We've got a tough road trip, but with good divisional games we're looking forward to."
The Oilers now hit the road to take on Los Angeles, Anaheim, and San Jose in three games in four nights, beginning Wednesday.