Connor McDavid wasted no time putting his stamp on Sunday night, and the Edmonton Oilers rode that burst to a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers.
McDavid scored just 50 seconds into the game, then added an assist as Edmonton kept rolling behind another electric night from its captain. The goal also pushed his season-opening assists streak to 15 games, an NHL record, and kept his scorching start on full display.
The opening shift said plenty. McDavid gathered the puck off the boards, accelerated through open ice, slipped past defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and finished on Dylan Garand. It was the kind of sequence that reminded everyone why he sits in the conversation as the best player in hockey.
That early goal carried extra weight in the record book. It was the 418th of his career, moving him past Glenn Anderson for fourth place in franchise history. It also marked his eighth goal in the first minute of a game, giving him the Oilers’ all-time lead in that category over Mark Messier.
McDavid now leads all scorers with 39 points and is the fastest player in league history to 30 assists. He is also on pace to join Wayne Gretzky as the only players to reach 200 in a season.
Edmonton got a big night from Evan Bouchard as well. The defenseman finished with a goal and two assists, putting him in rare company with Bobby Orr, Al MacInnis and Denis Potvin as the only defensemen with 25-plus points in their first 15 games.
In goal, Matt Tomkins handled his first start for Edmonton and just his seventh NHL appearance. The journeyman made key stops among his 27 saves and helped the Oilers secure their third straight victory.
Colton Dach added two goals, including an empty-netter with 39.4 seconds left to close it out. Edmonton also stayed perfect on the road, improving to 7-0.
Garand allowed three goals on 24 shots in his ninth straight appearance since Igor Shesterkin went down with a right knee injury. Pavel Dorofeyev scored the Rangers’ lone goal, but New York’s slide continued with a fourth straight loss and six defeats in its last seven after a strong start.
The Oilers visit New Jersey on Tuesday night. The Rangers host St. Louis on Tuesday night.
In Other News...
Oilers Could Arrive Shorthanded For Rangers After Early Injury Scare
The Rangers may catch a break on the schedule with Edmonton dealing with an early injury scare from Isaac Howard, who went down after a knee-on-knee collision against the New York Islanders and needed assistance getting off the ice. For a moment, it looked like the Oilers might be facing a much bigger problem, but head coach Mike Babcock said the injury is not as serious as first feared, which at least eased the immediate concern around the winger.
Even so, Howard is expected to miss the upcoming game against the Rangers while the Oilers continue to sort through his status and adjust their lineup. Edmonton is already considering different options to fill the opening, and how it handles that spot will be worth watching for a team trying to keep its forward group intact through a busy stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Sullivan Is Already Facing The Rangers Pressure Test
Mike Sullivan arrives behind the Rangers bench with the kind of rsum that usually buys a coach some patience, but New York rarely offers much of that. He steps in after Peter Laviolettes exit, inheriting a team that has already gone through a difficult first season, a front office reset under Chris Drury and the sort of retool language that signals expectations are still very much alive. Even before a full training camp has settled in, Sullivan is being asked to shape a roster that has been trying to find its footing while carrying the weight that comes with coaching in this market.
The early read is encouraging enough to make the job even more interesting. The Rangers have improved after a season in which injuries and inconsistency could have sent them backward, and Sullivan has already had to adjust his approach to fit the realities of New York pressure. With the team still in the thick of the race, the challenge is no longer just about installing a system. It is about proving that the new voice can steady a group that has to perform while everything around it keeps asking for more. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Brutal Test As Lineup Questions Linger Out Of Break
The break is over, and the schedule does not exactly ease the Rangers back in. They open a demanding eight-game stretch in 16 days Sunday at Madison Square Garden against Edmonton, a matchup that immediately asks a lot of a team trying to settle back into rhythm after time off. The Oilers arrive with Connor McDavid and the leagues highest-scoring attack, while New York is still sorting through some uncertainty on the back end because of injuries and illness among its defensemen.
Dylan Garand is set to start in goal, giving the Rangers another look at a netminder who has been thrust into a heavy workload since Igor Shesterkin went down with a season-ending knee injury. Edmonton is expected to counter with Matt Tomkins, but the bigger issue for New York is how its lineup holds up against a top-tier opponent when the blue line is not fully settled. For a team trying to navigate a brutal run of games, Sunday feels like an early stress test. [Read more 🡒]