Smits' New York Rangers lose at home to Edmonton Oilers

Latvian defenseman Alberts Smits and the New York Rangers lost on Sunday in a National Hockey League (NHL, North America's top professional ice hockey league) regular-season game. Playing at home, New York was beaten 4-1 (0-2, 1-1, 0-1) by the Edmonton Oilers. The result leaves the Rangers 13th in the Eastern Conference, while the Oilers lead the Western Conference.

Smits' performance

Smits spent 15 minutes and 25 seconds on the ice. He delivered two hits, gave the puck away once and blocked one shot. Together with defensive partner Scott Morrow, he was the only player in the New York lineup to finish with a positive plus-minus rating of +1.

Smits has played 15 games in his NHL debut season. He has not yet recorded a point, and his overall plus-minus rating is neutral.

How the game unfolded

The Rangers' only goal came from Pavel Dorofeyev in the 14th minute of the second period, when he converted in front of the net.

For the Oilers, Evan Bouchard scored a goal and added two assists. Colton Dach scored twice. Connor McDavid scored a goal and added one assist, while Leon Draisaitl assisted on two goals.

McDavid has recorded an assist in all of the season's first 15 games, which is a new NHL record.

Standings

The Rangers have 15 points from 15 games and are 13th in the Eastern Conference. The Oilers have 24 points from 15 games and lead the Western Conference.