By: Martin Oldhues
Change can happen quickly, and for the Edmonton Oilers, it has. The Oilers ranked next to last in the National Hockey League in the middle of November after only winning three games at the time. It led to former head coach Jay Woodcroft being fired.
Now, under new head coach Kris Knoblauch. The team is two wins away from snapping the longest winning streak on record.
The record was set back in the 1992-1993 season. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 17 in a row from March 9, 1993, to April 10, 1993. A tie with the New Jersey Devils ultimately ended the streak. At the time, there was no shootout. So, if the game remained tied after overtime, each team was awarded a single point. The NHL eliminated tie games completely in the 2005 season.
In 2016-2017, the Columbus Blue Jackets won 16 consecutive games in a row, having four players in the top 20 points leaders in the league. However, the Jackets couldn’t get around former Washington Capitals Goalie Braden Holtby, and the streak ended in a 5-0 loss.
The Oilers have two players in the top 20, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. McDavid has scored four goals in the last three games, while Draisaiti racked up six assists in that span. But much of the offensive force comes from left winger Zach Hyman, who is leading the team with 30 goals on the year. Edmonton has outscored opponents 62-24 during the 16-game stretch, averaging nearly four goals a game. Overall, they rank fourth in the NHL for goals per game.
In terms of defence, Edmonton allows 28 shot on net a game, 3rd best in hockey. Goalie Stuart Skinner only has allowed 1.5 goals a game during the winning streak. Skinner’s save percentage drastically increases in wins, holding a .943 save percentage compared to a .824 in losses.
It’s worth noting Skinner has struggled career-wise against the Las Vegas Golden Knights, who Edmonton faces next week, after the all-star break. Career-wise, he has given up 3.69 goals against Vegas and has a .852 save percentage. Edmonton beat Vegas back in October, winning 5-4 in a shootout.
The All-Star break could not have come at a worse time for Edmonton, as momentum can be halted during long breaks in sports in terms of mental and physical characteristics.
If the Oilers end up with win number 17, they would go for the record on Saturday, February 10th, against the Anaheim Ducks, who in the last two meetings have lost by lopsided scores of 7-2 and 8-2 facing Edmonton. Anaheim sits 7th in the Pacific division and ranks 29th in goals per games.
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