NEW YORK — It’s a loooong way from the Indiana Farmers Coliseum to Madison Square Garden.
But on a Sunday night in Manhattan, after a career spent schlepping from Indianapolis, to Rockford, to Gothenburg, to Karlstad, to Tampa, to Syracuse and on to Bakersfield, Matt Tomkins walked out into the New York night with his fifth National Hockey League win, a 4-1 decision over the New York Rangers in his first start as an Edmonton Oiler.
“It's been a long road, for sure,” said the 32-year-old journeyman, who cashed in his first NHL start since April of 2024. “It's been tough, but it's been enjoyable at the same time. I love to play, my career has taken me all over the world, and I've enjoyed every step.”
The Indiana Farmers Coliseum was home to the Indy Fuel of the ECHL, Matt Tomkins’ first pro goalie gig back in 2017. Yes, Wayne Gretzky’s pro career began in Indianapolis, but the similarities end right there.
And, of course, MSG is known as the World’s Most Famous Arena, where Tomkins stepped between the pipes for the team he grew up cheering for, beating the New York Rangers 4-1 on yet another dazzling night for Connor McDavid.
We’ll get to McDavid in due time. But this night belonged a kid who grew up hoping to play for the Junior A Sherwood Park Crusaders, and ended up as the first star on America’s biggest hockey stage, an arena that has housed everything from Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier to Elvis Presley in his prime.
“An incredible, historic building,” said Tomkins. “And it's been a couple of years since I've played in the league, so definitely excited to get the nod and the opportunity to play.”
“So nice, so nice,” said McDavid, who is a couple of years younger than Tomkins. “He's an unbelievable dude. He worked so hard this summer in Edmonton and just so happy for him. Obviously, (MSG) is a cool place to play, a special building. I'm happy for him.”
Talk about full circle, Oilers general manager Stan Bowman — then running the Chicago Blackhawks — drafted Tomkins in Round 7 of the 2012 draft, 199th overall. Bowman’s thinking was, Tomkins was headed for Ohio State, so he had a long runway. And with goalies, you never know.
Well, 14 years later, Tomkins finally rewarded Bowman with a win.
“That's been a long time coming. But nice it paid off,” smiled Tomkins, who stopped 27 Rangers shots.
The only one New York got past him came with two or three players pushing Tomkins out of position. It might have been one head coach Mike Babcock challenged in a closer game, but it was a 3-1 game at the time and the Oilers looked ready to preserve the win.
It’s crazy how organized these Oilers have been defensively, sporting a 7-0 road record so far this season and having allowed but a single goal against in the past nine periods. The goaltending has been good, but the overall defensive game has been even better, as a team that used to try to outscore its mistakes surely doesn’t need as many goals as it once did.
“A lot of new here in Edmonton with the coaching staff, the system and the mentality,” McDavid said. “Everyone's bought in and digging in, and you can just see it out there in the battles and the way our team is competing. It's been fun to be a part of.”
McDavid set the tone in this one, coming out on his first shift with the jet engines burning. He blasted around poor defenceman Vlad Gavrikov and tucked one behind goalie Dylan Garand just 50 seconds into the game, a display that had the crowd gasping here.
From there, an emerging second line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins between Colton Dach and Kasperi Kapanen scored another, and turned in another effective game. Dach scored twice, while his linemates gave Babcock an responsible 20-plus minutes, as another good line takes some pressure off of the top unit in Edmonton.
“We've lived off our best guys for sure,” Babcock said. “It's a back to back night, so it's harder, but I thought Dacher, Kappy and Nuge have been very effective for us... It allows the other guys to just do their thing.
“(Dach) looks like a real player. That's three games in a row (he’s played well) and that's what you're hoping (for). I think (defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin) is the same way. I didn't know what to expect from Shak when we got him, and now suddenly he's playing well each and every night. He makes passes, he makes plays, he skates.”
Edmonton has now won five straight here at MSG, and controlled this one wire to wire despite finding the wrong end of two goalie interference decisions by the zebras.
They’re a wagon these days, putting together an 11-2-2 record in their first 15 games.
“There's nothing better than winning on the road,” McDavid said. “Obviously our team loves it — coming into a tough building on a back-to-back against a rested team. These are the wins that you thrive in and you want to dig in and find a way to get one. Tonight was a big one.”
That’s four straight losses for New York, and the Rangers have dropped six of their last seven. Losing Igor Shesterkin to a torn ACL has taken the wind out of the Rangers’ sails, it seems.
Spec's checks
McDavid’s 418th career goal passed Glenn Anderson and put him fourth on the Oilers’ all-time list, behind Wayne Gretzky (583), Jari Kurri (474) and Leon Draisaitl (446). … McDavid has an assist in every game this season, an NHL record. … It’s a day off Monday for Edmonton, who close out this road trip in New Jersey Tuesday.
