Two games against New York teams this weekend, two wins for the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers wrapped up a four-game Eastern Conference road trip with a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Sunday, sweeping the season series against the Blueshirts in the process.
Let’s take a look at what happened in the game.
Edmonton opened the scoring late in the first period with a goal on the power play. Zach Hyman was out of the lineup and Corey Perry took his spot on the top unit. Leon Draisaitl threw a puck on net from the point and Perry was there to slam in his 15th goal of the season.
That lead didn’t last very long. Five minutes into the second period, the Rangers knotted the score at 1-1. Stuart Skinner made the initial save but Brett Kulak wasn’t able to clear the puck and Will Cuylle banged it home.
Fast forward to just over six minutes into the third period and the Oilers jumped back out in front. Viktor Arvidsson led a rush and passed it over to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who gave it back to Arvidsson on the wing. Arvidsson let it rip with a wrister, beating Igor Shesterkin over the glove and under the bar for his ninth of the season.
With just over three minutes left in the game, Connor McDavid led a rush and snapped a shot by Shesterkin after a quick move. The Oilers need more of this from their captain.

Takeaways…

Two off-season additions, Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner, both had a good game. Arvidsson has played well alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Vasily Podkolzin and buried his ninth goal of the season. Although Skinner didn’t pick up a point, he drew two penalties in the first period, including the one leading to the goal. Good stuff.
Sticking with Nugent-Hopkins, this was by far his best game of the season. He had an assist on all three of the Oilers’ goals and not just that, but they were the primary assist. If he can get going, things are going to go well for the Oilers.
Leon Draisaitl didn’t score his 50th of the season even though the Rangers pulled their goal for the final two and a half minutes. However, he extended his point streak to 18 games thanks to a secondary assist on Perry’s 15th goal of the season.
Perry, wow. He may be 39 years old, but you can see why he once won the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Rocket Richard Trophy. His 15th goal tonight is the fifth-most for the Oilers behind Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Nugent-Hopkins. It’s a blessing they have him.
I watched Jake Walman a lot with the Detroit Red Wings. He’s a great offensive defenceman but his defence with the Oilers since the trade has been sneakily good. In this game, he blocked six shots. For context, the rest of the Oilers’ defence core blocked a combined six shots in this game. When Mattias Ekholm gets back, this defence core is going to be one of the best the Oilers have had in their history.
Stuart Skinner saved 21 of 22 shots for a .955 save percentage in this game, making a handful of big saves. Interestingly, he had an .884 save percentage coming into the game against the Rangers last season. After posting a .912 save percentage (including a last-second goal), Skinner finished the season with a .917 save percentage and a 25-7-4 record in 37 games. Let’s hope he can go on a similar streak.
Up next, the Oilers return home to host the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday. It’s a four-game homestand with five of their next six games in March coming at Rogers Place. Don’t look now, but the Oilers are back in the race for the top of the Pacific Division, as they are just four points back of the Vegas Golden Knights with an equal number of games played.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.