Connor McDavid didn't just answer his critics last Thursday – he shut them up with a hat trick and a reminder of what happens when the best player in the world decides he's had enough. 

After the Oilers' 9-4 win over Seattle, Edmonton followed it with a convincing 6-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, two wins fuelled by McDavid's six points in two games. 

The Oilers captain has made a renewed commitment to shooting the puck, and the dividends are paying off.

It all started with a simple mentality shift. 

Following a tight 1-0 loss to Minnesota, McDavid said he passed up two prime scoring chances. 

"I thought I passed a couple away the other night," he told reporters. "Who knows if I score on one of those? So I definitely thought about shooting a little bit more." 

Against the Kraken, he turned thoughts into action. He fired seven shots, completed the hat trick and looked every bit like a player intent on dictating the game. 

On Saturday, McDavid came out flying, quickly putting a shot on Eric Comrie. The Oilers were off and running again, scoring five goals to Winnipeg's five total shots in the first period.

While McDavid didn't score against Winnipeg, he took five shots. His 12 shots in the two games were as many as the previous seven games combined.

Perhaps McDavid made the decision on his own. It could have been that he was tired of seeing missed opportunities cost the team. 

However, coach Kris Knoblauch didn't shy away from poking fun at the narrative. 

"I think he was disappointed with your guys' coverage of his offensive ability, or not shooting the puck. Maybe that stirred it up," Knoblauch told reporters, getting a laugh from those in the room.

Knoblauch has noticed what most do: when McDavid chooses to hunt goals, the entire complexion of a game changes.

McDavid's second goal against Seattle – a casual slide under Joey Daccord, who was frozen expecting a pass – showcased exactly why opponents fear his shot as much as his playmaking. Defensemen can't cheat one way or the other. If they play the shot, he'll pass. If they lean pass, he'll bury it.

"You kind of have to play it differently," Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard said to the media. "But when you do play it too differently, he's going to pass it… it's kind of hard to defend."

In September, McDavid said he wanted to prove that scoring 50 or 60 goals wasn't a one-off that happened in 2022-23. Thursday felt like the first real glimpse of that gear returning. 

He's third in league scoring with 42 points and sits at a season-goal pace of 39 goals. His shooting percentage of 16.1 percent is the highest he's had since the 18.2 percent in 2022-23. If he continues to show up with a "shoot-first" mentality over the rest of this homestand, he's going to nudge that goals pace higher.

Whether it was criticism, frustration or simply a personal decision, McDavid's shift in mindset has Edmonton rolling again. The Oilers sit in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

If this is the version of McDavid the Oilers get going forward, things might get dangerous in a hurry.

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