McDavid ‘Stirred Up’, Changed Mentality Leads To Huge Hat Trick

If there was one thing that had changed for Connor McDavid as he entered Thursday’s game against the Seattle Kraken, it was how much he intended to shoot the puck. Following a loss to the Minnesota Wild — where the team played well but he passed up a couple of Grade-A opportunities to shoot — McDavid got a lot of questions from the media about his pledge to try to score more.

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McDavid was upset that he could have been the difference-maker in a close game, but he chose to pass the puck on plays that didn’t work. Thursday night, he scored a hat trick and had seven shots on goal. To say he wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice would be an understatement.

McDavid was asked if he entered the Kraken game with a different mindset:

“Yeah, for sure, you know, as I said before, I thought I passed a couple away the other night and it ultimately cost us, losing the one nothing game. You know, who knows if I score on one of those? So definitely thought about shooting a little bit more.”

Head coach Kris Knoblauch was asked about McDavid, mentioning he came into the game ready to shoot and how that changes the Oilers’ offense. “I think he was disappointed with your guys’ coverage of his offensive ability, or not shooting the puck. Maybe that stirred it up.” Knoblauch smiled and noted, “I know if I’ve got a problem with any other players, I’ll just address it with you guys…”

“We needed a night like this,” McDavid told Gene Principe after the game. “We haven’t had a night like this where we kind of break out offensively and everybody feels good about themselves, something that you can start rolling with…”

It will be intriguing to see whether McDavid’s goal outburst gets him rolling. He started the season on a slower pace to score, but as of late, he has caught up in the NHL goal-scoring race. He’s now back and tied for second in points with 40, and he’s climbed into the Top 20 for goals with 14. That puts him on pace for 41. It’s a far cry from the 64 he scored a couple of seasons ago, but a few more games where he decides he’s going to simply shoot a lot more could get him back on pace to get close.

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