Every friend group has that one person who takes a loss personally. On Thursday, the Utah Mammoth came into Edmonton and beat the Oilers 4-2, handing them their first regulation loss of the season. (A regulation loss means losing in the normal 60 minutes, not in overtime or a shootout.)

Two nights later in Salt Lake City, Connor McDavid took it personally. He scored 40 seconds into the game, finished with two goals and three assists, and the Oilers won 6-2. Sportsnet's Mark Spector summed it up: "This, friends, was a beatdown."

Forty seconds, five points, one very long night for Utah

The opener came on a breakaway. Leon Draisaitl sent McDavid in alone, and he slid a backhand around goalie Karel Vejmelka. Per NHL.com, it was the seventh opening-minute goal of McDavid's career, tying an Oilers record set by Mark Messier.

Then he started handing out gifts. He set up Zach Hyman's power-play goal, had a hand in Kasperi Kapanen's goal and sent Draisaitl in on a breakaway of his own to make it 5-0. Utah pulled Vejmelka in the second period. For good measure, McDavid poked the puck off defenseman John Marino in the third and scored on another breakaway.

Okay, but how good is 23 points in eight games?

Absurdly good. McDavid has a point in every game this season and leads the NHL with 23 (six goals, 17 assists). According to NHL.com, those 17 assists tie Mario Lemieux (1995-96) and Wayne Gretzky (1986-87) for the most by any player through the first eight games of a season. Only Lemieux has ever reached 20 points faster.

The NHL's own account did the math: "FYI Connor McDavid is on pace for 241 points right now." Will he keep that up all season? Almost certainly not. Is it fun to imagine? Very.

His teammates are running out of ways to describe it. "It's crazy. He's flying," Hyman said, per NHL.com. "It looks like he's hit another gear this year, finishing like crazy."

Coach Mike Babcock pointed to a different number: plus-minus, which tracks whether your team outscores the other team while you're on the ice. "Isn't he plus-19 or something like that?" Babcock said. "It's impossible to coach a team when your best player isn't driving, and this guy's driving."

Not a one-man show

The feel-good subplot belonged to Hyman. He'd missed six games with an undisclosed injury, came back Saturday and scored. "For whatever reason, I find it hard to score the first one every year, so it's nice to get one out of the way early," he said. Relatable.

Draisaitl now has goals in three straight games, and goalie Tristan Jarry made 26 saves. The Oilers are 6-1-1 and a perfect 5-0-0 on the road, which NHL.com calls a franchise best. They also lead the league at 4.63 goals per game.

What's next

Edmonton heads home for a five-game homestand, starting Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild at 9 p.m. ET. On Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes, winners of seven straight, come to town at 9 p.m. ET. They visit Calgary on Sunday night first, so Alberta gets a double dose of the NHL's hottest team. Clear your Thursday.