OilersNation has reported:

The Edmonton Oilers responded to their first regulation loss of the season with a 6-2 win over the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night in Utah. Connor McDavid had five points, and Edmonton scored three times in the opening period of the home-and-home series finale, two nights after losing the first game.

The defeat on Thursday had been Edmonton’s first regulation loss after six games. Online reaction included people calling the Oilers “frauds” and saying they had been “exposed” and shown their “true colours,” in paraphrased descriptions of the criticism. Saturday’s result gave the team a quick reply on the ice.

McDavid opened the scoring 40 seconds into the game on his first shift. He took a pass from Leon Draisaitl at the Mammoth blue line, drove toward the net and put the puck past Karel Vejmelka.

Zach Hyman made it 2-0 with six and a half minutes remaining in the first period, scoring his first goal of the season from in front of the net on a power play. Hyman had returned to Edmonton’s lineup after missing the previous six games.

Forty-two seconds after Hyman’s goal, Mathieu Joseph picked up a puck in the neutral zone, broke away and scored Edmonton’s third. The Oilers carried that early momentum through the rest of the game, adding goals from Kasperi Kapanen and Draisaitl in the second period.

Hyman praised McDavid’s performance after the game. “It’s crazy, he’s flying,” the Oilers winger said. “It looks like he’s hit another gear this year, finishing like crazy, so it’s a good sign for our team.”

Edmonton head coach Mike Babcock said his players were prepared to respond after the Thursday loss. “I just thought we came ready to play,” he said. “Anytime somebody beats you, or anytime you’re playing someone back-to-back, you’ve got to get to another level the next game, and we clearly did that and got off to a great start.”

The game also included a fight between Oilers forward Trent Frederic and Mammoth forward Jack McBain, following tension from the first meeting. McBain had dropped Draisaitl with a cross-check near the boards in Thursday’s game, an incident that drew quick reactions from McDavid and Evan Bouchard as players gathered around. The confrontation did not expand into a larger fight at the time.

Frederic and McBain dropped the gloves shortly after Joseph’s goal. Utah’s broadcasters viewed McBain’s move as an effort to get his team going. Frederic took a shot or two early in the fight, then answered with uppercuts and was judged to have won it.

Babcock said the cross-check had bothered him, though the players had not discussed it as a team. “I didn’t like the cross-check last game and what had taken place, nd we never talked about it at all (as a team) to tell you the truth,” he said. “We did as a staff, but never with the players, and they all must have talked about it themselves and looked after things the way they should have, and obviously Freddie did a great job.”

Utah scored twice in response during the second period. Former Oilers draft pick John Marino beat Edmonton with a long wrist shot, and Mikhail Sergachev added another goal on a play described as likely to feature in “weird goal” highlight packages. The Mammoth changed goalies after Edmonton’s fifth goal, with Sebastian Cossa taking over for Vejmelka.

McDavid scored again with 10 minutes left in the third period to complete Edmonton’s 6-2 result. As Marino tried to move the puck out of his zone, McDavid tracked him, got his stick on the puck and created a breakaway. He had scored his first goal by going to the backhand; on the later chance, he used his forehand to beat Cossa.

Babcock commended McDavid’s approach. “He’s done everything that I’ve asked and done it with a way that seems to enjoy it, and he takes pride in doing things right,” the coach said.

The Oilers’ next games are two more tests: they are scheduled to host the Minnesota Wild in Edmonton on Tuesday night, followed by the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.

Zach Laing is managing editor at Daily Faceoff Edmonton and news director at The Nation Network. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com. Daily Faceoff Edmonton invites readers to submit letters for its weekly “Letters to the Editor” segment. Submissions of up to 200 words should be emailed to managing editor Zach Laing at zach.laing@bettercollective.com with “Letters to the Editor” as the subject, and include the writer’s name and place of residence, such as city, town, province or state. Letters may be edited for length or clarity and must be sent by Sunday morning to be considered for that week’s edition.