This road trip didn't get off to a very promising start, as the Islanders beat the Oilers 3-1 and increased the losing streak to three games. Since then however, they've responded in fine style.
First up there was the 6-3 win in New Jersey, when three third period goals in just 69 seconds spurred the Oilers' comeback from 3-2 down. Then it was a case of a similar third period recovery a night later, as they beat the Rangers 4-3 on Friday night.
In fact, as per Sportsnet, this is just the third time in Oilers history they've recovered from third period deficits on back-to-back nights. Let's get to our three takeaways from an important win in New York:
1) Skinner bounces back
Heading into the Rangers game, we wrote about how Stuart Skinner needed to get back on track. He had been in a bit of a slump of late, with just a .860 percent save percentage in his previous four starts.
It didn't matter that the Oilers were 2-2 in those four games; the reality was that Skinner wasn't playing well overall. However, he picked the ideal game to return to the form he'd displayed during the team's eight-game winning streak, when he produced a .934 save percentage and 1.70 GAA in seven starts.
While the Rangers did take a 1-0 lead in the opening period through Blake Wheeler, it could have been so much worse. The Oilers goalie made three big saves during the first 20 minutes, to keep his team in the game.
Skinner's fine form continued into the second period, when the Rangers outshot the visitors 14-11 but just couldn't get that second goal. Of course the biggest moment of the middle frame was when he took a shot hard to his facemask; while he was shook up, he was able to carry on after a break in play.
The Rangers did manage to get past the Edmonton native twice in the third period, but to be fair, their final goal came with just one second remaining and the game already won. When it was all said and done, he had stopped 31 of 34 shots and more than played his part in a well-deserved win.
After the game, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch had no doubt about the importance of Skinner's performance. Speaking to the media, he said:
"Stuart gave us an opportunity to win tonight. I thought we were very flat in the first period and the start of the second. He held the score down to just one against, and made some really big saves. We were able to build a game and play much better in the second half of the game, but it wouldn't have been possible without Stuart's saves that he made."
As for Skinner himself, he was asked about the Rangers' sportsmanship after the shot into his facemask. Speaking to the media, he said:
"They were really nice about it actually after that whole thing happened. A lot of their team came up to me and asked if I was alright, which I thought was really professional and kind of them."