Connor McDavid’s points and assists streaks are impressing teammates.
Equally as enjoyable is how the Edmonton Oilers are starting off on the road.
McDavid attempts to extend his season-opening points and assists streaks to 15 games while the Oilers seek their seventh straight road win to start the season Sunday night when they visit the New York Rangers.
He enters with 37 points, 11 ahead of teammate Leon Draisaitl, who has nine of his 12 goals over his past nine games.
McDavid has eight goals and 29 assists during his season-opening hot start, which continued when he had an assist on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ power-play goal late in the second period of Saturday’s 4-0 win over the New York Islanders when goalie Tristan Jarry faced only 18 shots on goal.
“He just finds ways, and even if things aren’t going his way or the team’s way, he’ll find a way to kind of get us some momentum, and usually that ends up in a goal for us,” Nugent-Hopkins said about McDavid after scoring twice Saturday. “It’s been a lot of fun to watch, and I know he’s not going to slow down.”
McDavid’s current point streak is three shy of his longest to start a season. He started 2021-22 with a point in 17 straight games.
Winner of the Art Ross Trophy (top point scorer in the league) and Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player) last season McDavid also enters Sunday seeking a eighth points streak of at least 15 games. He had at least one point in a career-high 20 straight games from Dec. 4, 2025 to Jan. 13, 2026.
McDavid has five of his goals and 14 of his points in the team’s six road games. The Oilers are outscoring opponents 31-13 on the road and are attempting to match their 1983-84 team for the best road start in Edmonton’s NHL history.
“I feel like every time he touches the puck, whether it’s behind our net or behind their net, in my head I feel we’re going to score because when the puck’s in him and (Draisaitl’s) and those guys’ hands, good things happen,” Edmonton defenseman Ryan Shea said.
The Rangers are attempting to stop a three-game losing streak that has seen them allow 18 goals. New York also has conceded 28 goals during a 1-4-1 slide since its 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 13.
New York is taking the ice for the first time since seeing its season-opening six-game home winning streak stopped with Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
The Rangers returned to practice over the weekend with some new forward lines.
Pavel Dorofeyev was moved to the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. Dorofeyev has three goals in his first 14 games with the Rangers and is replacing Gabe Perreault.
“We’re trying to find a way to capture Pav’s best game,” New York coach Mike Sullivan told reporters at a recent practice. “And so we’re moving people around based on a number of different objectives. No. 1, trying to help Pav capture his best game, create some balance through our lineup. I don’t think Mika’s line has been as effective most recently as it was earlier in the year. I was reluctant to move people earlier in the year because we thought that line was playing extremely well.”
New York also may change its defense since Sean Durzi (undisclosed injury) and Braden Schneider (illness) did not practice Saturday and could miss the game.
The Oilers are 10-2-2 in the past 14 meetings, including a 6-1-0 mark in New York in that stretch.
–Field Level Media
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