Connor McDavid sets NHL assist mark as Edmonton Oilers beat New York Rangers 4-1 at Madison Square Garden

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

NEW YORK — Connor McDavid produced a season-opening record night and the Edmonton Oilers extended their winning streak to three straight games with a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The NHL scoring leader pushed an early-season playmaking run further into historical territory, while Edmonton combined goals with timely special-teams work to secure the margin.

According to the NHL, McDavid extended his NHL-record season-opening assist streak to 15 games, surpassing the previous benchmark held by Wayne Gretzky. The league also reported that McDavid became the fastest player in NHL history to reach 30 assists, breaking Gretzky’s 1984-85 mark of 16 games. In addition to the passing milestones, McDavid set an Edmonton record with his eighth opening-minute goal of his career.

Edmonton struck quickly at 50 seconds into the game for the opening 1-0 lead. The play began with a short pass from Evan Bouchard in the defensive zone; McDavid then banked the puck off the wall to himself in the neutral zone, outskated Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov into the offensive zone, and finished on Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand. Oilers goal-scoring early set the tone and forced New York to play from behind throughout the evening.

Evan Bouchard contributed directly to the offense with a goal and two assists, finishing with 26 points through the first part of the season. The NHL noted that Bouchard’s production placed him among the highest-scoring defensemen in NHL history during an opening stretch, becoming the fourth defenseman in league history to record at least 25 points through the first 15 games of a season, joining Bobby Orr, Al MacInnis and Denis Potvin.

Colton Dach scored to make it 2-0 at 6:19. The NHL described the sequence as Bouchard slipping a high-to-low pass to Dach between the hash marks, with Dach skating into the left face-off circle before firing a low shot under Garand’s right pad. Edmonton’s second goal increased the cushion and helped the Oilers maintain control of the pace as the game continued.

Edmonton had additional scoring opportunities in the second half of the first period. Bouchard had a would-be goal taken away for goaltender interference at 8:53, keeping the score at 2-0 as the teams moved toward the next portion of the game.

The Oilers widened the gap again in the second period at 9:49. On the power play, Bouchard blasted a point shot that beat Garand to put Edmonton ahead 3-0. McDavid recorded the secondary assist on the power-play goal, further tying his performance to the team’s offensive burst after intermission.

Edmonton goalie Matt Tomkins also played a central role after the Oilers built their lead. The NHL reported that Tomkins made 27 saves, and that the appearance marked his first NHL game since April 17, 2024. With New York working for answers against a one-goal-per-period pattern early, Tomkins’ saves helped protect the shutout for much of the contest.

Pavel Dorofeyev broke up the scoring run for the Rangers at 13:22 of the second period to make it 3-1. Dorofeyev collected the rebound from Morrow’s shot, then slid the puck under Oilers defenseman Connor Murphy in the slot and scored on his forehand, cutting the deficit while still leaving Edmonton in front by two.

The NHL said New York managed to prevent further damage during a 5-on-3 for Edmonton that lasted 1:28 midway through the third period, limiting the Oilers to the 3-1 score despite the extended man advantage. The penalty kill kept the Rangers within reach, but the Oilers maintained enough pressure to convert on the opportunities that remained.

Dach sealed the outcome with an empty-net goal at 19:20 to make it 4-1. That late goal sent Edmonton home with the full two points after New York, despite a comeback attempt, could not find the equalizer. The final score reflected both Edmonton’s early lead and the Rangers’ inability to fully close the gap.

In addition to McDavid and Bouchard, the league noted other individual details from the game. McDavid became the eighth different player in NHL history with an assist streak of at least 15 games at any point during a season, and the Oilers’ win improved their record to 11-2-2. For New York, the Rangers fell to 7-7-1 and suffered their fourth straight loss.

New York’s lineup featured Scott Morrow, who recorded an assist in his season debut, and Rangers goalie Garand made 21 saves. The NHL also reported that Garand and Dorofeyev accounted for New York’s scoring and goaltending effort as Edmonton held firm, even as the Rangers tried to rally after trailing 3-0.