Rangers completely outclassed by Oilers in worrisome defeat as losing streak hits four

This was the kind of game that puts the big picture in perspective.The Rangers aren’t in the same class as the Oilers, a fact made abundantly clear in a 4-1 loss to the Western Conference leaders Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.Forget class: The disparity in the two clubs’ brand of hockey exemplified just how far the Blueshirts have veered from the cohesive team game needed to break into the playoffs.Here was an Edmonton team competing on the second night of a back-to-back slate with a 32-year-old goaltender in net who hadn’t played in the NHL in more than 2 ¹/₂ years.

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.The Rangers, on the other hand, were coming off a five-day break in game action — albeit without star goaltender Igor Shesterkin and second-pair defenseman Sean Durzi.And yet, the Oilers operated as an effective five-man unit from start to finish while the home team struggled to counter.It’s certainly not groundbreaking to say that Edmonton has way more firepower and talent than the Rangers.

Prior to the Rangers win in Edmonton last season, the Oilers had actually won the previous four straight dating back to December 2023.The circumstances surrounding this matchup, however, exposed how little such factors matter when the match boils down to a sizable gap in the two teams’ games.Edmonton owned the neutral zone Sunday night, turning turnovers into offense and wreaking havoc at the blue line to disrupt whatever the Rangers were attempting when they had the puck.The Oilers essentially cruised to their 11th win of the season, improving to 7-0 on the road and 11-2-2 overall.Limited to five shots on goal in the first period, the Rangers faced a two-goal deficit for the third straight game.The Rangers were painfully aware of their need to start Sunday’s game on time, especially given their performance in the past handful of first periods ...