Following nearly a week off, the New York Rangers will be back in action on Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers. With the team playing the Oilers, that means it will be the extremely talented Connor McDavid coming to MSG.  

With nearly a week off, the Rangers will be hoping to get back on track following some struggles. New York is a team that has lost three straight games and five of their last six. Considering the hot start to the season, this has been a disappointing stretch, and it correlates to the team losing Igor Shesterkin for the rest of the season. 

There has been a lot of discussion about Dylan Garand’s performance this season, but the 24-year-old deserves some credit for being thrown into a tough situation and making the most of it. 

The hope is that Joonas Korpisalo will be back soon to provide some relief in the net for the Rangers, and getting Garand will be good. 

On Sunday, New York is going to be playing one of the best teams in the league to start the season, and it will be a major test. If New York is going to win this game, it starts with trying to slow down McDavid.

McDavid on Torrid Pace 

Like the Rangers, the Oilers have also played 14 games following their 4-0 win over the New York Islanders. In that win, McDavid was able to record an assist, and he has kept his streak alive with at least one point in every game this season. 

For New York, they aren’t a team that is built to win high-paced and high-scoring games. The Rangers’ identity is to play good defense and stay within structure. Going against McDavid will be a major challenge in that sense, as he can turn a game upside down on his own. 

New York will need to be sharper than they have been of late on defense. This is a group that has made a lot of mistakes during their recent struggles and will need to be better against one of the best offensive teams in the league. 

It isn’t fair to expect the Rangers to completely shut down McDavid, but slowing him down will have to be the goal. Furthermore, making sure to stay out of the penalty box and not letting Edmonton go on the man-advantage will also be key. 

Overall, it is going to be a tough matchup for New York on Sunday,  but they have had a lot of time off and should be well-prepared for this matchup.