The New York Islanders (1-3-0) hosted the Edmonton Oilers (2-1-1) on Thursday evening (Oct. 16), with the home team coming away with a 4-2 win for New York’s first victory of the season, while handing the Oilers their first regulation loss. Here’s your game recap.
Game Recap
The Islanders took advantage of an Edmonton turnover and opened the scoring 16:23 into the opening frame. Mathew Barzal pick-pocketed defenceman Evan Bouchard and went in on a partial breakaway, beating goaltender Stuart Skinner over the glove for an unassisted marker.
Shortly after, the Oilers tied the game on the power play. Leon Draisaitl received a give-and-go with Connor McDavid, and he ripped a shot blocker side, past goaltender David Rittich. Therefore, the score was tied at one after the first period, with New York having an 11-7 shot advantage.
Related: Projected Lineups for Oilers vs Islanders – 10/16/25
The Oilers took their first lead of the game midway through the second period. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins walked in and ripped a shot upstairs, over Rittich’s glove. Then moments later, Skinner made an excellent left pad save to maintain the Oilers’ one-goal lead.
The Islanders tied the game with two minutes remaining in the middle frame with a shorthand marker. Bo Horvat received a breakaway pass from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and beat Skinner blocker side. The second period concluded tied at two, with the Oilers having a 16-7 shot advantage in the period, and 24-18 overall.
Horvat gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal for his second of the game with 5:14 left in the third period. Barzal set up Horvat in the bumper spot for a one-timer, past Skinner. Then, Horvat added an empty-netter to seal the deal for the hat trick.
Rittich stopped 31 of 33 shots for a .939 save percentage (SV%) in the victory, while Skinner stopped 21 of 24 shots for an .875 SV% in defeat.
The Oilers continue their five-game road trip on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 18) against the New Jersey Devils. Meanwhile, the Islanders hit the road for a matinée matchup against the Ottawa Senators the same day. Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.
