The Edmonton Oilers put together another multi-goal victory on Sunday, defeating the New York Rangers in what was a 4-1 decision.
The win saw the Oilers extend their early lead in the Pacific Division to five points; the next-closest team is the Vegas Golden Knights, who have 19 points in their first 15 games of the season.
You can find my four points of emphasis from the Oilers' latest game below.
We love to see a very fast start to the hockey game
If Saturday's win against the New York Islanders was characterized by a slow build-up that eventually saw the Oilers build a sizeable advantage that the Islanders could not overcome, the start to Sunday's game represented much more of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it sprint off the line.
Connor McDavid got the Oilers on the board with just 50 seconds gone, while Colton Dach doubled the lead just six minutes later; Evan Bouchard assisted on both of those goals and scored his own, though that one was called off due to goaltender interference.
The fast start that the Oilers put together on Sunday was one that had been missing for a few weeks. The lack of such a start cost the Oilers a few points in the games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, though more emphasis has to be placed on the former contest.
Speaking of fast ...
We saw a very effective and unstoppable fast break for the Oilers, one that could have easily created a much bigger advantage for the Oilers.
At several points in the hockey game, the Oilers were able to create clear fast-break and numerical rush opportunities. McDavid's goal was proof of this; it came on a fast-break that saw him zip past a group of Rangers players before converting a one-on-one opportunity against New York Rangers goaltender Dylan Garand.
Besides the goal, the Oilers had a few fast-break opportunities, though they were unable to convert many of those opportunities. One of those saw a two-on-one rush broken up by defenseman Adam Fox.
The Oilers need to work on converting fast-break opportunities and shoot the puck even when there is another teammate skating up the ice, but they showed that they are capable of creating dangerous numerical advantages.
Matt Tomkins did well in support of Tristan Jarry and the Oilers goaltending
While Matt Tomkins was brought into the regular lineup as the backup to Tristan Jarry during Devon Levi's injury recovery, he did put together a performance akin to the ones the former posted over the past two games.
Even with Edmonton's shutout streak ending at seven periods of action, Tomkins was able to act as an effective last line of defense for the Oilers. In what was just his seventh career NHL game, Tomkins recorded 27 saves for a .964 save percentage. The win improved his career record to 4-2-1 and brought his career save percentage above .900.
Even though Levi could return within the next few games, Tomkins may have earned a few more starts before Frederik Andersen makes his season debut. At that point, the Oilers will likely have to make a decision with regard to the goaltending; even if it doesn't go Tomkins' way, the team could very well have given the rest of the league another strong goaltending option to consider as the season goes on.
Is Colton Dach's place in the Oilers lineup safe?
I've talked in great detail about whether the likes of Isaac Howard could be included in potential trade packages aimed at cementing Edmonton's status as a Stanley Cup contender.
Those talks will rightfully continue after tonight's win, but it seems that Dach is doing enough to separate himself from that group of forwards. Sunday's game served as another layer of proof for this statement; while Dach's two goals against the Rangers were only his third and fourth goal contributions of the season, he now has points in two of his last four games.
Even though there is still a massive gap between the top-six and bottom-six forwards in terms of performance, forwards like Dach are trying to match the output of their superstar counterparts. With that and the fact that other bottom-six forwards like Owen Michaels are struggling to find form in mind, there currently isn't much to justify any concern for Dach's spot on the Oilers' roster.
Quick note
Bouchard's second-period power play served to continue a couple streaks and runs of form that the Oilers have put together to start the 2026-27 NHL campaign.
For one, it represented the 13th occasion in the first 15 games of the season where the Oilers have recorded at least three goals. The 4-1 win over the Rangers improved their record in such games to 11-0-2 on the season. In fact, the last time the Oilers lost in regulation when scoring at least three goals came on March 6, when the team lost 6-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The goal also extended Edmonton's power play-scoring streak to nine games. They are now three games away from matching the run that the Dallas Stars put together last season; they went 12 straight games with a power play goal.
What's next?
The Oilers will conclude their road trip on Tuesday when they take on the New Jersey Devils at 5:30 p.m. Alberta Time. The Devils have won five of their last six games to put together a 9-5-0 record heading into the contest.
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