Recently, I wrote an article for The Hockey Writers asking: Why isn’t Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid scoring like he used to?
There was evidence in the numbers: after leading the NHL with 64 goals in 2022-23, his sixth consecutive season averaging at least 0.50 goals per game, McDavid saw his output fall to 32 goals in 2023-24, then slip to 26 goals in 2024-25. So, when he started this season with just one goal in Edmonton’s first 11 games, the trend had become impossible to ignore.
The article wasn’t intended as a critique of the 28-year-old McDavid; it was a genuine question: How is it that a player of his calibre, in his prime years, would experience such a steep decline in his goal production?
At the time the article was published, on Nov. 4, McDavid had three goals in 14 games. Since then, he’s erupted for six goals in six games, tying for the most in the NHL over that span and equalling his best six-game stretch since 2022-23. McDavid must be an avid reader of The Hockey Writers.
But in all seriousness, this follow-up is not about seeking credit for McDavid’s sudden surge. This is an acknowledgement that I shouldn’t have doubted that the Oilers’ captain still has it in him to score at an elite level.
McDavid Scores Twice Against Hurricanes
McDavid scored twice on netminder Frederik Andersen in Edmonton’s 4-3 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Saturday (Nov. 15). He lit the lamp in both the first and third periods, giving him his second two-goal game in less than a week.
Suddenly, McDavid is up to 10 goals through 20 games, putting the superstar centre on pace for his most goals in a season since 2022-23. He’s now just four goals behind league leader Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche in the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy race.
McDavid Comes Up Clutch Against Columbus
In addition to happening with greater frequency, McDavid’s scoring exploits have been both spectacular and clutch.
Related: 2 McDavid Goals Lead to Oilers’ 4-3 Overtime Win Over Hurricanes
Last Monday (Nov. 10) against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Place, the Oilers were coming off an embarrassing 9-1 loss to the Avalanche and playing their final home contest before embarking on a seven-game road trip. The vibes were not good. Never mind their place in the standings (which found them sitting outside of a playoff spot) – this was a game the Oilers had to win for the sake of team morale.
But even with those stakes, the Oilers found themselves trailing Columbus by a margin of two goals in the third period not once, but twice. Both times, McDavid scored to bring his team back from the brink.
CONNOR MCDAVID WITH A NASTY GOAL 🤬🔥 @BR_OpenIce
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 11, 2025
pic.twitter.com/7Sb6RvmC3a
On his first goal, McDavid pulled a spin-o-rama on Denton Mateychuk, throwing the Blue Jackets defender off balance so badly that he fell to the ice, before backhanding the puck top shelf behind goaltender Jet Greaves. It’s a surefire candidate for Goal of the Year.
For his second goal, McDavid drove to the net with a sudden burst of speed that no other human on the planet may be capable of, and tucked the puck past Greaves before the goaltender even knew what had happened. The captain simply wasn’t going to let his team lose. Sure enough, Edmonton went on to win 5-4 in overtime.
McDavid Adapts to Oilers’ Needs
With their victory on Saturday, the Oilers are now 4-1-1 (.750 point percentage, .667 winning percentage) this season when McDavid has at least one goal, compared to 5-6-3 (.464 point percentage, .357 winning percentage) when he doesn’t score.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that more McDavid goals equate to more Edmonton wins. But the thing is, the Oilers have experienced their greatest successes of the McDavid era – reaching back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025 – while his goal output significantly decreased.
Since 2022-23, McDavid has served primarily as a playmaker: he averaged an incredible 1.21 assists per game combined in 2023-24 and 2024-25, helping the likes of Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman record 50-plus goal campaigns. Maybe McDavid playing the role of set-up man is exactly what Edmonton needed the last two seasons.
But Edmonton has since lost some of its key offensive contributors. If the Oilers’ middling first month of the season (Edmonton started 6-6-4) is any indication, they need McDavid to think shoot-first again. These last six games, he’s reactivated Rocket mode, and the results speak for themselves.
McDavid and the Oilers will look to continue their winning ways when Edmonton continues its road trip with a stop at KeyBank Center on Monday (Nov. 17) vs. the Buffalo Sabres.
