North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson hopes it's an aberration.

And he says there's no point ranting, or dwelling on his side's 68-point drubbing from Adelaide on Saturday afternoon.

The Crows produced their highest-scoring quarter in almost 11 years - a second-term blitz of 10.4 to 0.2 - in their 20.13 (133) to 9.11 (65) victory on Saturday afternoon.

"Where's it come from? Don't know, because we haven't seen it for the year," Clarkson said.

"So there's part of us to say, well, treat it like an aberration and get on with next week ... look at some of the reasons why it fell away so badly in that second quarter, and get going again."

Adelaide's second-stanza tally is the club's best return in a quarter since round 20, 2015. Only six times have the Crows scored more in any term in their history.

"That second quarter was some of the best footy I've seen by a team for a long time," Clarkson said.

"Everything that you could possibly want from a side, they were able to do. And everything that you didn't want from a side was happening to us."

The Crows (six wins, four losses) kicked 13 consecutive goals while picking up 13 percentage points in thumping the Roos (four wins, six losses).

"We had enough pressure on our opposition that we earned the right to play the way we know we want to play," Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks said.

Eight Crows finished with multiple goals: Josh Rachele kicked three, and Jake Soligo, Luke Nankervis, Lachlan McAndrew, Ben Keays, Toby Murray and James Peatling slotted two each.

Izak Rankine (28 disposals, one goal), triple club champion Rory Laird (25 disposals), his fellow defender Josh Worrell (24) and captain Jordan Dawson (24, one goal) were also dominant.

North, after leading 16-0 and having the initial eight inside-50s of the game, folded meekly - seven Roos didn't touch the football in their grim second quarter.

"We haven't seen it for the year - you don't like ever seeing it," Clarkson said.

"But we've just got to get ourselves back on the bike again and get going again for next week. It's no point jumping up and down about it."

At one stage in the second quarter, the Crows' pressure rating was 294 - a figure of more than 185 is considered high pressure.

Adelaide's onslaught created a 66-point halftime advantage, 14.6 to 3.6, but Clarkson clung to one positive: North didn't capitulate in the second half when both clubs scored six goals.

"When you concede 14 goals in a half of footy, very easily could that turn into a 100-point loss," he said.

Veteran Luke Parker topped ball-winners for the visitors with 28 disposals, followed by Harry Sheezel (24) and Luke Davies-Uniacke (22), while Paul Curtis (three goals) was the Kangas' only multiple scorer.