Oilers beat Islanders 4-0 on Saturday afternoon at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, as Edmonton opened a three-game road trip with a shutout and Connor McDavid stretched his record season-opening assist streak to 14 games. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice, Tristan Jarry stopped all 18 shots he faced, and the Oilers stayed perfect on the road.
The first period ended scoreless, and the game turned early in the second. Edmonton scored three times in the middle period, then closed the game out with an empty-net goal in the third, handing New York its first shutout loss of the season.
How the Oilers beat Islanders 4-0
Nugent-Hopkins opened the scoring at 8:42 of the second period, finishing off the rush after Kasperi Kapanen won a puck battle and fed him in front. Just 68 seconds later, Vasily Podkolzin made it 2-0, redirecting a pass in front from Leon Draisaitl for his ninth goal of the season.
The decisive goal came late in the period. At 18:26 of the second, with Edmonton on the power play, McDavid fed Nugent-Hopkins at the far post for a tap-in and a 3-0 lead. Jason Dickinson added an empty-net goal at 17:23 of the third period to complete the scoring.
Edmonton went 1-for-6 on the power play, while New York finished 0-for-4. Ilya Sorokin made 20 saves for the Islanders.
McDavid’s record streak reaches 14 games
McDavid has now recorded an assist in every game Edmonton has played this season, an NHL record for a season-opening assist streak. The assist on Nugent-Hopkins’ second goal was his league-leading 29th of the season, and he leads the NHL with 37 points on eight goals and 29 assists through 14 games.
The point streak also stands at 14 games, three short of the 17-game season-opening point streak McDavid put together to start the 2021-22 season. That is the next milestone in front of him, and it will be tested quickly, with Edmonton back on the ice on Sunday.
Jarry’s second straight shutout anchors the win
Jarry’s shutout was his second in a row. He made 24 saves in a 4-0 win over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, then followed it with 18 more stops against the Islanders, giving him 42 consecutive saves across the two games. Draisaitl added two assists in support.
The win moved Edmonton to 10-2-2 overall and 6-0-0 on the road. New York, which had won its previous two games, fell to 7-5-2.
The Islanders also lost their early rhythm to discipline problems. Edmonton forward Isaac Howard left the game just 2:22 in after a collision with Islanders forward Emil Heineman, who was assessed a five-minute major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct. Edmonton coach Mike Babcock said after the game that the team did not believe Howard’s injury was as serious as it first looked, a welcome note on an otherwise difficult afternoon for the visitors’ depth.
Analysis: what the Oilers’ win changes
Analysis: this was a complete road performance rather than a one-man show, and that is what should encourage Edmonton most. McDavid supplied the headline, but the win was built on a scoreless first period that stayed calm, a second-period burst that put the game away, and a goaltender who has now gone two full games without allowing a goal. A team that can win that way on the road, in the second half of a back-to-back stretch of travel, is harder to beat than a team that only wins shootouts.
The caution is just as clear. A 14-game streak is a remarkable start, not a guarantee, and it can end on any night against a strong opponent. Sunday’s game in New York against the Rangers is exactly that kind of test, and it will say more about where this Oilers team stands than a comfortable afternoon win over a short-handed Islanders side.
What to watch next
Edmonton continues its road trip at the New York Rangers on Sunday, November 1, with McDavid’s assist and point streaks both on the line again. New York, meanwhile, will look to rediscover the offense that went quiet on Saturday and to stay out of the penalty box after a game in which penalties wore the Islanders down.
Related coverage on US Sports Media: the Red Wings’ 4-1 win over the Blackhawks (https://ussportsmedia.com/red-wings-beat-blackhawks-4-1-arvidsson-hat-trick/), the Warriors’ 112-95 win over the Lakers (https://ussportsmedia.com/warriors-beat-lakers-112-95-nba-cup-comeback/), and our Miami vs North Carolina preview (https://ussportsmedia.com/miami-vs-north-carolina-preview-october-31/).
Sources: NHL.com Oilers recap (https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/edmonton-oilers-new-york-islanders-game-recap-october-31-2026-x0180), NHL.com Islanders takeaways (https://www.nhl.com/islanders/news/takeaways-islanders-oilers-oct-31-2026), AP via TSN (https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/article/mcdavid-extends-assist-streak-to-14-games-as-oilers-beat-islanders/), The Hockey Writers (https://thehockeywriters.com/5-takeaways-from-oilers-4-0-win-over-islanders-10-31-2026/).
