The Oilers kept rolling on the road Sunday afternoon, and they did it with a fast start, a steady finish, and another statement performance from Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard in a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers.
Edmonton improved to 11-2-2 on the season, the best mark in the National Hockey League’s Western Conference, while staying perfect away from home at 7-0. The game also gave the Oilers another strong showing at Madison Square Garden, where they have now won five straight.
McDavid wasted no time setting the tone. Just 50 seconds into the game, he blew past the Rangers’ defence, cut in from the right side, and beat Dylan Garand over the glove to put Edmonton ahead 1-0. It was the kind of finish that has become a familiar sight against New York.
The Oilers doubled their lead a little more than six minutes later after a strong forecheck forced a turnover. Evan Bouchard eventually collected the puck and fed Colton Dach in the slot, and Dach buried it five-hole for what stood as the game-winning goal.
Edmonton looked like it had made it 3-0 in the first period when Bouchard scored, but the officials waved it off after ruling that Dach interfered with the netminder. The game stayed 2-0 after 20 minutes.
Bouchard got his goal back midway through the second period, and this one counted. His slapshot on the power play found its way past Garland to make it 3-0.
The Rangers answered three and a half minutes later. Matt Tomkins made the first save on a shot from the half boards, but New York won the puck back and Pavel Dorofeyev finished with a quick move to his forehand to cut the deficit to 3-1. That was as close as the Rangers would get.
Dach added his second of the night into an empty net with 39.4 seconds left to seal it.
McDavid’s night was another big one. He extended his point and assist streak to 15 games, scored his ninth goal of the season, and picked up his 30th assist of the year on Bouchard’s second-period power-play marker. With the two-point outing, he is on pace for 218 points this season.
Bouchard was every bit as central to the win. He finished with a goal and two assists, giving him 26 points in 15 games. He’s the clear front-runner for the Norris Trophy nearly a quarter of the way through the season.
The second line also gave Edmonton something it has not always had this season: a little more balance. Colton Dach, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Kasperi Kapanen have started to build some chemistry, and Dach’s two-goal night pushed him to three on the season. The line was also on the ice for the Rangers’ only goal.
Nugent-Hopkins had a milestone night of his own. He matched Kevin Lowe’s all-time record of 1,036 games played as an Oiler.
In net, Matt Tomkins handled his first start as an Oiler in the second half of a back-to-back and delivered a sharp performance. He stopped 28 of 29 shots for a .966 save percentage and posted a 1.70 Goals Saved Above Expected, according to Hockeystats. It was just his seventh NHL game and his first since April 17th, 2024.
Edmonton’s defence and goaltending have been strong over the last three games. After allowing a goal with 77 seconds left against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday, the Oilers went just under 161 minutes without giving one up. Goaltending has been a strength for this team this season, outside of three games.
The Oilers now head to New Jersey for the final stop in the New York Metropolitan Area. They face the Devils on Tuesday at 6:30 PM MT, and Nugent-Hopkins will set the record for most games played as an Oiler in that game.
In Other News...
Oilers Turn To Matt Tomkins In A Spot Fans Did Not Expect
The Oilers are turning to Matt Tomkins in a spot few would have circled on the calendar, with coach Mike Babcock saying the goaltender will make his Edmonton debut against the New York Rangers. Tomkins was brought up from AHL Bakersfield under emergency conditions after Devon Levi was placed on injured reserve, giving the organization an unexpected look at a depth option it had only recently added on a two-year, two-way deal.
Tomkins does bring prior NHL experience, but this is still a notable moment for a goalie who has spent much of his recent work in the minors and now gets thrown into a high-profile setting right away. For Edmonton, it is another reminder of how quickly the crease can change, and for Tomkins it is a chance to show he can handle a call that arrived far sooner than anyone around the team likely planned. [Read more 🡒]
McDavids October Run Has Oilers Fans Eyeing Hockey History
Connor McDavids October has already pushed his name into a familiar conversation in Edmonton, the kind reserved for the sports rarest scorers and playmakers. He piled up 27 assists in the month, setting the NHL mark for assists in October while also establishing new Oilers franchise records for points and assists over the same stretch, a start that has naturally invited comparisons to the biggest early-season bursts in league history.
The company he is keeping is the point here, because the list now includes names like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, with McDavids opening month landing among the most eye-catching runs the NHL has ever seen. For Oilers fans, the intrigue is not just what he has already done but how long this kind of pace can hold, and whether October will end up looking less like a hot streak and more like the beginning of something historic. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Look Even Scarier Than Expected Despite Injuries Piling Up
The early weeks of the season have only reinforced how dangerous the Oilers can be, even with injuries already forcing them to shuffle through key absences. Edmonton has still come out of the gate with a strong record, and Connor McDavid has been at the center of it, leading the NHL in points while driving the kind of offense that keeps the Oilers in the conversation every night.
Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard have also done their part, giving Edmonton the sort of scoring depth that makes the team look even scarier than expected. The concern, of course, is how long that can hold if the injury list keeps growing, but for now the Oilers are surviving the early grind with elite production and very little sign that the ceiling has changed. [Read more 🡒]