Zach Hyman returns, scores as McDavid torches Mammoth

The Oilers have been playing short-handed for most of October. On Friday afternoon, the injury report finally started to look better.

Hyman had been out since the season opener with an undisclosed injury, which cost him 6 games. Losing a guy who lives at the top of the crease on McDavid's power play is a big deal, and Edmonton had been patching that hole with call-ups. By Saturday the moves were official: Colton Dach came off IR, Josh Samanski went back to Bakersfield, and Hyman, Dach and Walman were all in the lineup for the back half of the home-and-home in Utah.

It took McDavid 40 seconds to make the night ugly for Utah. His goal in the opening minute was the 7th of his career, which ties a franchise record Mark Messier set. Then the returning Hyman got the kind of goal he's paid to score: McDavid found him alone in front on the power play and he buried it.

Spittin' Chiclets

@spittinchiclets

Welcome back Shaq Hyman 🚨

From there it was a beatdown. Mathieu Joseph, Kasperi Kapanen and Leon Draisaitl also scored, Tristan Jarry handled the little Utah threw at him, and McDavid capped his night by stripping a defenseman and beating Sebastian Cossa on a breakaway. That gave Edmonton the split of the home-and-home after Utah won Thursday's game in Edmonton.

Jason Gregor

@JasonGregor

Oilers improve to 6-1-1. They start the season 5-0 on road for first time in franchise history. McDavid 2-3-5. Jarry very solid stopping 26 of 28. Frederic great tilt with McBain. Hyman, Joseph, Draisaitl and Kapanen also score. McDavid has 23 points in 8 games.

5-0 on the road is a franchise first, and it isn't even the craziest number from the night. McDavid's 2 goals and 3 assists made it his 16th career 5-point game. He now has 6 goals and 17 assists and has a point in all 8 games.

This is a historic pace, not just a hot week. McDavid is the first player to hit 20 points in 8 games or fewer since Mario Lemieux did it in 7 in 1995-96. His 17 assists through 8 games also tie Lemieux that season and Wayne Gretzky in 1986-87 for the most in NHL history. The 5-on-5 numbers are just as lopsided.

Janson Duench

@reporterJD

After his 16th career five-point game, Connor McDavid has opened the season with an eight-game point streak, totalling 23 points. Fastest to 20 since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96. On pace for 240+. Annihilated the opposition 18-2 at five-on-five. Expected goals hovering around 70%. Unreal.

Nobody is scoring 240 points, so relax. But McDavid playing like this with Hyman back in front of the net is a scary thought for the rest of the league, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is reportedly on track to return late next week against Carolina or Toronto. The Oilers are 6-1-1 and they still aren't fully healthy.