Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and Connor McDavid scoring a highlight-reel goal against the New York Rangers.
Back in early November 2021, the greatest player on the planet lost control of the puck and circled back to the neutral zone. After skating parallel to the blue line, McDavid decided to go for it, walking through four Rangers before undressing the goalie to tie the game late. It instantly went down as one of the best goals of his career.
Unless I’ve somehow time-traveled, the most recent season was 2024-25, not 2021-22. But would you believe McDavid did it again?
In late November 2024, the Oilers hosted the Rangers at Rogers Place. This time, the game wasn’t close. Edmonton was already up 5-1 when McDavid picked up the puck with speed on a two-on-one. A Rangers defender dropped to the ice, swinging his stick to take away the pass and knock the puck loose, but McDavid held on. He pulled it back, waited out the goalie, and slid it home with ease.
Heading into that game, the Oilers were 10-9-0 after a loss to the Minnesota Wild. It wasn’t as ugly as the start to their 2023-24 season, but it still wasn’t great. The 6-2 win over New York kicked off a strong run. The Oilers beat the Utah Hockey Club and Colorado Avalanche before falling 1-0 to the Golden Knights in a game they controlled. Fitting, considering how Vegas’ season ended.
From there, Edmonton ripped off a five-game winning streak, followed by a loss, then three more wins. Two losses came next, then four straight wins, another loss, and four more in a row. They closed out the stretch by going 2-2-1 in the five games leading up to the Four Nations Face-Off.
From Nov. 23 to Feb. 7, the Oilers went 24-8-2. They needed every bit of it. Over the final stretch, they went 14-12-1, just enough to finish third in the Pacific Division.
As for the Rangers? This was the beginning of a brutal slide. They came into the game 12-6-1 after a loss in Calgary. Over their next 20 games, New York went 5-15-0 and finished the season 39-36-7, a far cry from their Presidents’ Trophy campaign in 2023-24.
Previously…
- Kasperi Kapanen eliminates Golden Knights in overtime
- Evan Bouchard dances through the Senators
- Best Oilers Goals of 2024-25: Last-minute heroics in the playoffs
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
