Rangers Recap: McDavid Runs Wild at the Garden as Rangers Fall, 4-1

Back from a five-day break, the New York Rangers are hosting the Edmonton Oilers for a daylight saving time special. The Rangers have the pleasure of being the first team to try to subdue Connor McDavid after he posted the third-most points in a season in October, behind only Mario Lemieux, who did it twice. This is the first of two matchups between the teams this season, with the Rangers making the trek to western Canada in eight days.

The team looks a little different this Sunday, with Scott Morrow getting his first game of the season because Sean Durzi, as head coach Mike Sullivan said, has been "battling through some stuff physically." Sullivan's line variation continues with Gabe Perreault falling to the third line and Pavel Dorofeyev skating next to Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière.

First Period

On his first shift of the game, Zibanejad looked good. He skated up the middle of the ice alone and deked right around an Oilers forward. Nothing came of the play, though, as he ran into multiple Oilers skaters high in the offensive zone and managed only a shot attempt that was easily blocked. Unfortunately for the Rangers, it was now McDavid's turn. He skated into the lead pass from Evan Bouchard and was off to the races. He zoomed around Vladislav Gavrikov, swooped down and right in front of Dylan Garand, and scored on Edmonton's first shot of the game. The Rangers' trend of giving up a goal early continues, this time just 50 seconds in.

The period wouldn't get any better for the Blueshirts, as the Oilers added to their lead just a few minutes later. Bouchard was involved again, beating Lafrenière to the puck up the boards. He followed the puck out near the top of the circles and made a tough-angle pass to Colton Dach, who turned and beat Garand five-hole. A few breakdowns led to this goal, but MSG Networks analyst Dave Maloney called it harshly yet accurately, noting that the Rangers' goaltender should have stopped this one.

The Oilers were on the verge of making this period even worse for the Rangers, but outside intervention slowed the bleeding for the hometown team. Bouchard beat Garand from the blue line, but the referee immediately waved it off, citing goaltender interference. The officials gathered and explained that because Dach entered the crease first, before any contact, it would stand as no goal unless the Oilers challenged it. Oilers head coach Mike Babcock passed, and the game continued.

Near the end of the period, the Rangers would get the first power play. They struggled to set up and connect in the offensive zone, largely because McDavid is now also playing on the penalty kill for the Oilers, and for what it's worth, McDavid having more room to skate only makes him more dangerous. After McDavid got off the ice, the Rangers finally started to cycle the puck, but Will Cuylle misplayed it on the boards and took a tripping penalty of his own, ending the Rangers' power play.

The Rangers had a shorthanded chance, but J.T. Miller couldn't thread a pass to Eeli Tolvanen in the slot. They killed off the rest of the man advantage and limped into the first intermission, luckily down by only two.

Second Period

Sullivan must have delivered a hell of a message, because the Rangers came out ready to play. They dominated the first half of the second, with Cuylle and Perreault combining for an excellent chance that didn't go in. On the other side of the ice, Adam Fox made the Rangers' best play of the night so far when, during a 2-on-1, he intercepted a sneaky floating pass from McDavid.

Unfortunately for the Rangers, the Oilers righted the ship. After almost capitalizing on a long delayed-penalty possession, Edmonton wasted no time scoring on the power play. From McDavid to Leon Draisaitl to Bouchard and into the back of the net, just as the hockey gods intended.

Edmonton's power-play dagger killed the momentum for the Rangers, but as the period wound down, the Blueshirts were able to cobble an opportunity together. After a long lead pass from Fox to Dorofeyev, he dished it to Zibanejad at the side of the circle. Zibanejad snapped the puck on net, and Matt Tomkins fought it off, ricocheting the puck high in the air. Both the Oilers and the Rangers crashed the net, but the puck was knocked away with a high stick.

It felt like the top line clicking was a sign of things to come, as the Rangers won an offensive-zone faceoff and Morrow got the puck to the net. After Lafrenière and two Oilers crashed into Tomkins together, Dorofeyev, all alone, was able to put the puck into the net easily. The officials gathered and, after a lengthy discussion, ruled it a good goal.

Garand kept this a two-goal game for the Rangers. The young netminder stood on his head, fighting off multiple high-danger chances from the Oilers. After Dach, while on his knees, stole the puck from Fox behind the net, he tried to put it between his legs, but Garand read the play. With seconds ticking down, the Oilers blitzed the Rangers, but Garand made a big kick save on a Draisaitl shot, and after a tumultuous period, the Rangers went into the third period down 3-1.

Third Period

The Rangers had chances early in the third, getting a full two-minute power play but still failing to generate anything serious. It's no secret the Rangers' power-play units need work. They have failed again and again to generate anything consistent with the man advantage, and on half of their opportunities, they struggle to even set up efficiently in the offensive zone.

The Rangers then spent much of this period killing off penalties of their own. McDavid drew not one but two back-to-back penalties, as both Tye Kartye and Cuylle did what they could to slow the superstar down and ended up in the box. The Rangers' penalty-kill units delivered, with Zibanejad and Fox doing great work killing off the 5-on-3.

Once they were back at even strength, the Blueshirts looked rejuvenated and played with some pep in their step. Kartye, in the middle of a pack of players, had his shot bounce off the post, and the Rangers kept pressing. With just under three minutes left, Sullivan pulled Garand right after McDavid almost scored again.

As they chased a tie, the Rangers had five forwards and Fox on the ice. Whether it was a broken stick, blocked shot, or big save, the Rangers struggled to break through. They called a timeout but still came up short, and the Oilers added an empty-net goal when Dach scored to seal the deal for Edmonton.