EDMONTON - Devon Levi is making a strong case that the Oilers may have found the goalie they’ve been waiting for.
The 24-year-old turned aside 28 shots Monday night and helped Edmonton grind out a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers. Leon Draisaitl scored twice, Connor McDavid added a goal, and the Oilers continued their hot start by winning their second straight and sweeping the season series from New York after also taking a 4-1 decision earlier this month.
Levi, back in the lineup after missing seven games with a lower-body injury, has now gone 8-1-0 in an Edmonton sweater. He was at the center of the win when the Rangers pushed hard late, and he didn’t shy away from the spotlight.
“That’s why I’m here, right? The last line of defence,” Levi said.
“I kind of embrace that (challenge). I love it.
If we played a perfect game, we wouldn’t need a goalie. And they’ve got my back when I need them to - which isn’t much.
We usually play really good.”
Draisaitl said Levi’s performance was the difference.
“I think he’s the main reason that we won the game,” Draisaitl said. “I don’t think we were terrible, probably not our best, but he made the right saves at the right time.
A couple of really, really big ones. He’s been incredible for us.
We have so much trust in him.”
Connor Murphy echoed that sentiment, pointing to the confidence Levi gives the group.
“Any time you have your goalie as your best player, you’re in a good spot,” he said. “To add that element to our game is so huge, that he can get wins for us on nights we might not deserve it totally.
“It (creates) confidence for guys to continue to play aggressive, and then hopefully it turns out to be us shutting down plays instead of them getting by us.”
The Oilers had to hang on in the third period, especially when they were killing a penalty with the Rangers’ goalie pulled. Draisaitl then iced it with 1:13 left, burying a long shot into the empty net for his second goal of the night. That gave him his league-leading 18th goal in 19 games, stretched his goal streak to four games and pushed his points streak to six.
“It’s massive,” Draisaitl said of the win. “Winning a game on home ice 3-1 where you’re not at your absolute best, that’s playoff hockey right? So much momentum going back and forth and learning how to win those early on in the year is going to pay off later on in the year.”
The empty-netter was also the 78th game-winning goal of Draisaitl’s career, a franchise record he continues to extend.
McDavid chipped in with his own goal, extending his points streak to 19 games with 11 goals, 37 assists and 48 points. That run puts him in rare company: he became only the fourth player in NHL history to open a season with a 19-game point streak, joining Wayne Gretzky, Dany Heatley and Mats Sundin. His season-opening assist streak, though, stopped at 18 games.
New York’s lone goal came from Jaroslav Chmelar, who scored short-handed to snap Edmonton’s shutout bid. The Rangers, now 10-8-1, had a three-game winning streak end. Dylan Garand stopped 17 shots in the loss.
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