Connor McDavid made a major statement in his first clash with Sidney Crosby, but the reigning Conn Smythe winner and his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates taught McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers a lesson Tuesday night.

McDavid showed off his incredible vision, speed, and strength in the much ballyhooed first-ever meeting between him and Crosby, but his remarkable play-making ability wasn't enough to quell the defending Stanley Cup champions, who showed the Oilers how to properly close out a game.

The 19-year-old dominated early on, setting up all three Oilers goals as Edmonton jumped out to a 3-1 lead. He fed Jordan Eberle for a pair of goals and created Patrick Maroon's marker by burning past Brian Dumoulin and feathering a perfect backhand pass.

McDavid impressed at both ends of the ice, breaking up a Penguins scoring chance before feeding Maroon for the goal that made it 2-1 for the Oilers late in the first period.

Crosby was on the ice for Edmonton's first two goals, but he got the first and last laughs Tuesday night.

The two-time Hart Trophy winner beat McDavid on the opening faceoff and was nearby when Benoit Pouliot's clearing attempt went into the Oilers' net late in the third period, giving Pittsburgh the eventual game-winner with less than two minutes left.

The Oilers' strong start to the season has been impressive, and they now sit at 9-4-1 through 14 games, but Edmonton's inability to hold the lead and Pouliot's decisive gaffe proved they aren't on the Penguins' level just yet.

McDavid has already provided myriad glimpses of his gifts, shown he's capable of consistent offensive production, and proven he's wise beyond his years on the ice, but the Oilers learned as a team Tuesday that they still have work to do before joining the NHL's elite.

No matter how many points he piles up or how quickly his game continues to evolve, he can't do it all by himself. This loss to the Penguins showed the Oilers that despite McDavid's brilliance, they still have plenty of room to grow.

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So long, nine-game losing streak.

The Vancouver Canucks put an end to a miserable slide with a 5-3 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, and finally enjoyed the benefit of some luck, as three players notched their first goals of the season. Most notably, coveted free-agent signing Loui Eriksson finally found the back of the net, 14 games into his tenure in Vancouver.

Although some personal slumps were busted, the beleaguered club was just happy to collect two points.

"Big win for us," starter Jacob Markstrom told reporters. "I thought we did a great job going after it. We were hungry and played a smart hockey game."

Alex Burrows, who also notched his first of the season, echoed the idea that it was team effort.

"After 40 minutes we talked about finding a way to win, not finding a way to lose," he said. "Everyone stepped up tonight."

Wearing the brunt of the blame for the losing streak was head coach Willie Desjardins, and he saw some positives in the club's first win in over three weeks.

"We had some games we deserved to win and didn't," Desjardins said. "We played really well tonight and that's how we have to play."

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Benoit Pouliot's gaffe provided a bizarre climax to the first-ever meeting between Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid.

The Edmonton Oilers forward shot the puck into his own goal while trying to clear it away from Pittsburgh Penguins winger Conor Sheary, who was credited with his second of the game and third of the season.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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The scouting reports were true: Patrik Laine can score at will.

The second overall pick of the Winnipeg Jets completed the second hat trick of his 14-game NHL career Tuesday against the Dallas Stars, chipping home a feed from Mark Scheifele in the second period.

Laine's three tallies give him a league-leading 11 on the young season.

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Rick Nash reached an impressive feat Tuesday night, tapping in his 400th career goal in the third period versus the Vancouver Canucks.

The goal was his seventh of the season, as Nash is quietly enjoying a refreshing bounce-back season after only tallying 15 in 2015-16 season.

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It took 14 games, but Loui Eriksson has scored for the first time as a member of the Vancouver Canucks.

The high-priced free-agent acquisition took a pass from Daniel Sedin and shoveled one in on the backhand to get the monkey off his back late in the second period Tuesday night against the New York Rangers.

Vancouver forwards Alex Burrows and Sven Baertschi added their first goals of the season in the third period.

The Canucks signed Eriksson to a six-year, $36-million deal on July 1, but the veteran winger managed only four assists in the first 13 games with his new club.

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The Montreal Canadiens had a special guest on hand Tuesday night, as they hosted legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus to read the starting lineup ahead of their contest versus the Boston Bruins.

"The Golden Bear" - winner of a PGA-record 18 majors - knows a thing or two about success, and offered a few words of wisdom before revealing the starters.

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Fighting Wayne Simmonds: Not a good idea.

The Philadelphia Flyers winger rocked Detroit Red Wings blue-liner Jonathan Ericsson with a vicious left hook Tuesday, quickly ending their bout.

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Erik Gudbranson's threat toward Matt Martin reportedly caught the attention of the NHL.

Following a chippy 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, the Vancouver Canucks blue-liner said Martin's "f-----g dead."

NHL executive Colin Campbell reportedly spoke to Canucks general manager Jim Benning, saying Gudbranson better stay in line when the two clubs meet again Dec. 3 or he'll face "harsh repercussions," according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

Dreger reports the issue isn't on the league's front burner, but it takes a "threat of that magnitude" very seriously.

The Canucks and Leafs combined for 171 penalty minutes in the contest, including 10 for Gudbranson and 19 for Martin.

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Give the first period to Connor McDavid in his first-ever matchup with Sidney Crosby.

The Edmonton Oilers' captain used his terrific vision to set up a pair of goals in the first 20 minutes Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

McDavid took a slick pass from Patrick Maroon and fed Jordan Eberle for the tying goal late in the opening frame.

McDavid one-upped himself less than three minutes later, blowing past Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin and dishing a perfect backhand pass to Maroon for the Oilers' second marker.

McDavid picked up his third assist of the game on Eberle's second goal of the contest early in the second period.

Crosby was on the ice for the Oilers' first two goals. Over to you, Sid.

(Videos courtesy: NHL.com)

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