Rangers revisited: First look at Connor McDavid in Edmonton

The New York Rangers got their second glimpse at hockey’s best player on this date in 2016

With no New York Rangers hockey until January, we will try to give all Ranger fans a taste of hockey by reliving the best moment on this date over the last five years.

Although Connor McDavid made his NHL  debut in the 2015-16 season, a shoulder injury limited him to 45 games and kept him out of both games with the New York Rangers.  He made his Madison Square Garden debut on November 3 in a 5-3 loss.  Although he notched an assist he was a minus three on the game and did not play well.  November 13, 2016, the Blueshirts got to see him in action again and he was much, much better. In his second outing against them, McDavid added an assist and was named third star of the game.

The game was in Edmonton, the second game of a three game Western Canada road trip.  After beating Calgary 4-1, the Blueshirts faced the Oilers.  They came away with a 3-1 win  behind two goals by Michael Grabner and the goaltending of Antti Raanta.

Grabner had been an unheralded free agent signing. Jeff Gorton had inked him over the summer on a two year deal at the bargain rate of $1.65 million a year.   Grabner justified Gorton’s decision by scoring 52 goals in less than two season.  With his two tallies he improved his goal scoring total to ten goals including a hat trick against Tampa two weeks earlier.  The ten goals were more than he had scored in each of the two prior seasons.

One note about Grabner.  He was adept at scoring empty net goals, taking advantage of his speed.  Amazingly, he is tied with Messier for the franchise record for most career empty net goals with 11.  That’s 11 empty net goals in 135 games compared to the 698 games Messier played in New York.

The game

The Rangers were shorthanded, going into the game with only 11 forwards.  Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich were both late scratches due to injury.  It was a very clean game with only two minor penalties, both on the Rangers.

The Rangers were still considered one of the best teams in the league, coming into the game with  an 11-4-0 record, while the Oilers were stumbling, losing five of their last seven games.

The Blueshirts got off to a great start, scoring on their first shot of the game after 1:20, the seventh time the Oilers had allowed a goal in the first two minutes of a game.

Grabner started the play in the Rangers end, but Rick Nash led the rush into the Oilers’ zone.  He made the cross ice pass to Kevin Klein who had joined the rush, but Klein’s shot was stopped by Cam Talbot.  Grabner was following the play and put in the rebound.

The Ranger padded their lead at the 13:18 mark on a goal by Dan Girardi on a delayed penalty call.

After Mats Zuccarello drew a penalty the Rangers got an extra skater on the ice and controlled play in the Oilers’ zone.  Kevin Hayes took his time and then took the shot with Dan Girardi planted in front of the net.  The puck went in off Girardi’s skate and the Blueshirts were up 2-0.

Just before the period ended, with 1:15 left, Andrej Sekera scored off a pass from McDavid.

It was a bang-bang play with McDavid setting up Sekera who was cutting in front of Raanta.

It was a tight 2-1 game until Grabner got a breakaway at 14:35 of the second period, picking off a pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at the blue line and beating Cam Talbot.

The goal was initially waved off, but after review, it was ruled  a good goal.  Talbot had been able to get to the puck and knock it out of the net, but it had clearly crossed the goal line.At that point in the season, with ten goals Grabner was second in the NHL, one  behind Patrik Laine.

Interestingly, defenseman Adam Clendening was added to the lineup when Kreider and Buchnevich didn’t play, but he did see any ice time. After the game, Coach Alain Vigneault said that he was going to be used on the power play, but the Rangers didn’t get one so he was a spectator with the best seat in the house.

Raanta had an excellent night as the Oilers poured 39 shots on goal.

The Oilers outshot the Rangers over the last two period, 26-15, but Raanta held fast for his fourth win of the season.

McDavid played 22:49, the most of any Oiler.  He wasn’t on ice for any of the three Ranger goal and finished with a plus/minus of +1.

Although the Rangers limited McDavid to only two assists in their first two games against him, since then he has scored five goals and added five assists for 10 points in only six games.