Oilers Takeaways: Tomkins Shines, McDavid Sets the Tone in 4-1 Win at MSG

The Edmonton Oilers wrapped up a back-to-back in style on Sunday, beating the New York Rangers 4-1 at Madison Square Garden. It was their seventh straight road win, and it pushed the team to 11-2-2 on the season.

Connor McDavid kicked things off in style and Matt Tomkins did his job in goal, picking up his first NHL win of the season in a start that was two years in the making.

Here’s what stood out.

At 24 points through 15 games, this is the third-best start in franchise history. Only the 1984-85 team (12-0-3, 27 points) and the 1983-84 team (12-2-1, 25 points) opened stronger. That’s rare company.

Connor McDavid scored in the opening minute, his eighth goal in the first minute of a game. That passes Mark Messier for the most in franchise history. Coach Mike Babcock said the first five minutes of the second game of a back-to-back are crucial because you never know which way it will go. He called it a leader’s job to get the team started on time, and McDavid did exactly that.

“I feel like I’ve been, at times, a little bit passive,” he said Sunday. “Just wanted to get the puck to the net and lucky it went in," said McDavid. He definitely wasn't passive on this occassion, going coast to coast. 

Matt Tomkins turned aside 27 shots in his first game with the team and earned Player of the Game honors. For a goalie who has fought for his opportunity, it was a big moment. “That’s been a long time coming,” he said with a smile afterward.

The Oilers weren’t at their best in the second period, and that’s where Tomkins really did what he had to. Babcock noted that the fast start helped Tomkins settle in, but said he was “real good” when the team needed him most. McDavid agreed, calling him solid and saying he made the saves he needed to and gave the team a chance. He also called Tomkins “an unbelievable dude” who worked hard in Edmonton over the summer.

When asked how it felt to get back in after a two-year gap, Tomkins wasn't sure he'd get another NHL shot. “There’s maybe a little bit of doubt,” Tomkins said after the win. “Not from your ability, but more so just the opportunity. There’s only 64 jobs at any given time and incredible goalies all over the world are fighting for them every single day. I’ve always known that I could play and be a difference-maker in the league. Opportunities are hard to come by, but I’m happy I took advantage of it.”

Babcock understood how long those two years must have been, but noted that for a goalie like Tomkins, it's never totally over. “You can play in the East Coast league forever and still play in the National Hockey League,” Babcock said. “Drafting goalies isn’t an exact science by any means, and if you just are a hard worker and you keep getting better, who says you can’t play? And we’re always looking for goalies.”

It will be interesting to see if this was it for Tomkins or there are more chances coming. Jarry will likely get the start on Tuesday versus the New Jersey Devils and Devon Levi is getting closer to a return. 

Colton Dach scored two more goals, which will only be good news for him and he tries to secure a spot in Edmonton's top nine. He's playing up because of an injury to Zach Hyman, and he's making the most of his opportunity. 

“He looks like a real player,” Babcock said. “Suddenly that’s three games in a row and that’s what you’re hoping (for).”

“We’ve lived off our best guys for sure,” Babcock said. “In saying that, I thought early our depth was good. I thought then, as we played better teams, we didn’t have the same kind of depth. It’s a back-to-back night, so it’s harder, but I thought (Dach), (Kapanen) and (Nugent-Hopkins) have been very effective for us, to say the least. It allows the other guys to just do their thing.”

The attempt at a goal-of-the-year by Dach shows a player with a lot of confidence. 

The Oilers face the Devils on Tuesday. Can they go 8-0 on the road and stretch their record to 12-2-2 on the season?

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