Connor McDavid scored four goals to carry the Edmonton Oilers to a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night at Rogers Place.
The 21-year-old opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game on the power play, redirecting Ryan Strome's pass into the top corner of Andrei Vasilevskiy's net to give Edmonton an early 1-0 lead.
Alex Killorn and Leon Draisaitl traded tallies later in the first period, setting the stage for McDavid to go back to work early in the second with the Oilers leading 2-1.
McDavid received a pass from Draisaitl at the blueline, deked Lightning forward Matthew Peca nearly onto his knees and beat Vasilevskiy from an improbable angle for a goal worthy of any highlight reel.
With the Oilers leading 4-2 in the third period, McDavid completed his hat trick with a trademark burst of speed.
Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev mishandled a pass at the left point and McDavid pounced on the loose puck, bursting past Sergachev before beating backup goaltender Louis Domingue with a nifty forehand finish.
McDavid wasn't done there. He became the first Oiler to score at least four goals in a game since Sam Gagner did so on Feb. 2, 2012.
Draisaitl provided once again, setting up McDavid on a 2-on-1 break that was initially shut down by Domingue. McDavid recovered the puck behind the net and threw it back in front, where it caromed in off of Lightning forward Chris Kunitz.
It may not have been how McDavid drew it up, but he got the credit for his fourth goal of the night to bring his total to 21 for the season. McDavid joined Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin and Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron as the only other players in the NHL to score four goals in a game this year.
"I know the fans are looking for something to cheer for and we need to give them something to cheer for," McDavid said following the win.
Edmonton fans haven't had a lot to cheer about this season as the Oilers (23-24-4) have fallen greatly short of expectations, but there is no doubt that the home crowd enjoyed their captain's four goal performance Monday night.
McDavid and his teammates will now hit the road for a three-game trip starting in Los Angeles against the Kings on Wednesday, while Oilers fans back in Edmonton will be looking for some new hats.
All packed for the road trip. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/7CN7zXTlsQ
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 6, 2018