10/31/2026 04:00:00
Printable Page
10/31 15:58 CDT Connor McDavid extends his assist streak to 14 games as the
Oilers beat the Islanders 4-0
Connor McDavid extends his assist streak to 14 games as the Oilers beat the
Islanders 4-0
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Connor McDavid extended his NHL-record season-opening assist
streak to 14 games by setting up Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' second goal, and the
Edmonton Oilers opened their road trip by beating the New York Islanders 4-0 on
Saturday.
Nugent-Hopkins scored on a power play in the third period to give McDavid his
league-best 29th assist. No other NHL player has that many goals and assists
combined, and McDavid has a big lead in points with 37 --- and is on pace for
more than 200.
Longtime running mate Leon Draisaitl recorded a pair of assists, including a
perfect skate-to-stick exchange that led to Vasily Podkolzin putting the puck
into a wide open net. Ilya Sorokin similarly had little chance on
Nugent-Hopkins' shot from point-blank range off a feed from Kasperi Kapanen 68
seconds earlier.
Edmonton's Tristan Jarry stopped all 18 shots he faced for a second consecutive
shutout, and Jason Dickinson scored into an empty net to seal the victory. The
Oilers have won 10 of their first 14 games this season, their first with Mike
Babcock as coach.
Despite 20 saves from Sorokin, the Islanders' winning streak ended at two
games, with top defenseman Matthew Schaefer getting whistled for two of the
team's five minor penalties. Forward Emil Heineman was ejected less than 2 1/2
minutes in for a knee-on-knee hit that injured Isaac Howard, who put no weight
on his left leg as he was helped off the ice and did not return.
New York was without defenseman Ryan Pulock, who was seeing a doctor after
leaving Thursday night at Minnesota with what the team called an upper-body
injury.
Up next
Oilers: Make their second stop on a three-game visit to the area by playing at
the New York Rangers on Sunday.
Islanders: After some time off, host the defending Stanley Cup-champion
Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.
___
See AP's full NHL coverage here
|
