Connor McDavid Extends Season-Opening Assist Streak to 15 Games as Edmonton Oilers Defeat New York Rangers 4-1

NEW YORK: Connor McDavid continued his remarkable start to the 2026-27 NHL season, extending his record-setting season-opening assist streak to 15 games as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the New York Rangers 4-1 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

The victory marked Edmonton’s third consecutive win and improved the team’s record to 11-2-2. The Oilers also maintained their perfect away record, reaching seven victories in seven road games this season.

McDavid delivered another historic performance, becoming the fastest player in NHL history to record 30 assists in a season, reaching the milestone in just 15 games. He surpassed the previous record held by Wayne Gretzky, who required 16 games during the 1984-85 season.

The Edmonton captain also established a new franchise record for the most opening-minute goals in his career, scoring his eighth such goal to move ahead of former Oilers captain Mark Messier.

His goal was also the 418th of his NHL career, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on Edmonton’s all-time scoring list. He passed Glenn Anderson, while Wayne Gretzky leads the franchise rankings with 583 goals, followed by Jari Kurri with 474 and Leon Draisaitl with 446.

McDavid credited his team’s overall performance and the adjustments made under a new playing system for his individual success, saying that the focus had been on understanding his responsibilities and helping the team win.

Evan Bouchard was another major contributor to Edmonton’s victory, recording one goal and two assists for a three-point performance. His season total reached 26 points, making him just the fourth defenceman in NHL history to register at least 25 points through the opening 15 games of a season.

Bouchard joined an elite group that includes Bobby Orr, Al MacInnis and Denis Potvin, who previously achieved similar statistical milestones.

Colton Dach also delivered an impressive performance, scoring twice to record his first multi-goal game in the NHL. His second goal came into an empty net late in the third period to seal the Oilers’ 4-1 victory.

Edmonton’s Matt Tomkins made 27 saves in his first NHL appearance since April 17, 2024. The goaltender, who has spent recent seasons moving between the American Hockey League, ECHL and European leagues, earned his fourth career NHL victory.

The Oilers made an immediate impact, taking the lead just 50 seconds after the opening faceoff. McDavid collected a short pass from Bouchard in the defensive zone, accelerated through the neutral zone and moved past Rangers defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov before beating goaltender Dylan Garand.

Edmonton doubled its advantage at 6:19 of the first period when Dach converted a pass from Bouchard, sending a low wrist shot beneath Garand’s right pad.

The Rangers struggled to recover from the early deficit, while Edmonton continued to control the momentum.

Bouchard appeared to have scored another goal earlier in the contest, but the effort was overturned because of goaltender interference.

He eventually found the net during a power play at 9:49 of the second period, firing a powerful shot from the blue line to give Edmonton a commanding 3-0 advantage. McDavid recorded the secondary assist, extending his historic streak.

New York managed to respond through Pavel Dorofeyev, who scored at 13:22 of the second period to reduce the deficit to 3-1. Dorofeyev collected a rebound from Scott Morrow’s attempt and slipped the puck past Tomkins.

The Rangers had an opportunity to make the contest more competitive in the third period when they killed an extended Edmonton five-on-three power play lasting one minute and 28 seconds.

However, their efforts to mount a comeback were unsuccessful. Dach scored into the empty net at 19:20, completing his two-goal performance and securing the Oilers’ 4-1 win.

Tomkins was particularly effective in the closing stages, stopping all 10 shots he faced after conceding Dorofeyev’s goal, including eight saves in the third period.

For the Rangers, Garand finished with 21 saves, while Dorofeyev provided their only goal of the night.

The defeat extended New York’s losing streak to four consecutive games and dropped its season record to 7-7-1. The Rangers have also conceded the opening goal in each of their four recent defeats, falling behind by multiple goals in the first period of their last three games.

Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan acknowledged the difficulty of facing McDavid, describing the Edmonton captain’s acceleration and ability to create scoring opportunities as exceptional.

Meanwhile, McDavid described the road victory as particularly satisfying, noting that winning away from home against a rested opponent on the second night of a back-to-back schedule required considerable effort.

The Oilers’ latest performance also highlighted the remarkable chemistry between McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard. The three players have combined for 93 points through Edmonton’s first 15 games, the highest total by any three teammates over that span in the past 30 years.

McDavid has now recorded multiple season-opening point streaks of at least 15 games, having previously achieved a 17-game run at the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign. Gretzky remains the only player with more such streaks, having accomplished the feat four times, including his legendary 51-game streak in 1983-84.

For Edmonton, the victory represents another significant step in an impressive opening stretch of the season. With McDavid producing historic numbers, Bouchard contributing from the blue line and the team collecting consecutive road victories, the Oilers are demonstrating the offensive depth and consistency that could make them a major force throughout the NHL campaign.

Courtesy: nhl