EDMONTON -- Corey Perry is jumping on board with the Edmonton Oilers chasing an NHL record for longest winning streak in a season.
The 38-year-old forward is expected to make his debut with the Oilers when they host the Nashville Predators at Rogers Place on Saturday (4 p.m. ET; SN, BSSO).
Edmonton has won 15 straight games and can move within one of the NHL record of 17 set by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992-93.
"I'm excited, it's been a long two months, self-reflecting, going through a lot of things and I'm excited to be here now," Perry said Friday. "Practice has been good. I've only had two real practices and a couple of morning skates, but for the most part, I felt OK. It's not the same, you can skate all you want by yourself and do all the things, but you have NHL players pushing on you and NHL goalies in the net, it's a different animal. We'll see how it is tomorrow and go from there."
Perry, who signed a one-year, $775,000 contract on Monday, skated on the third line with Dylan Holloway and Ryan McLeod at practice on Friday. He was also on the second power-play unit.
Perry has not played since Nov. 19 with the Chicago Blackhawks, who announced on Nov. 28 they were terminating his contract after an internal investigation determined he had "engaged in conduct that is unacceptable and in violation of both the terms of his standard players contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments."
Perry had nine points (four goals, five assists) in 16 games for Chicago. He had been acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on June 29 and signed a one-year, $4 million contract the next day.
On Nov. 30, Perry announced he was seeking treatment for mental health issues and his struggles with alcohol. He has been practicing with the Oilers since Monday but did not play in a 4-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday or a 3-0 win against the Blackhawks on Thursday.
"I think he's looked really good for not being able to play for a long period of time," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. "He'd been on the ice a little bit skating, but until you have an NHL practice and are doing game-like drills, you never know, but I think he's done really well. Right now, it's looking as if he'll play tomorrow."
The Oilers can extend their winning streak to 16 games heading into a 10-day break. Following the NHL All-Star break, they visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 6.
"We're just trying to win every game, honestly," Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. "The streak is what it is and there's no sense thinking past tomorrow. That's been our mindset throughout the whole streak; to play it one game at a time and when you look back on it, you think, 'Woah, we've won 15 in a row,' but it doesn't feel like that at the moment. It feels like you go and win one game and then go on to win the next game and they all add up. And all of a sudden, you're sitting here close to the record."
Edmonton has not lost since a 3-1 defeat at the New York Islanders on Dec. 19. The Oilers (28-15-1) set a franchise record with their 10th consecutive win, 2-1 at the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 13, and the record for consecutive wins by a Canadian franchise with their 13th straight win, 3-1 at the Calgary Flames on Jan. 20.
"I don't think you ever set out to do something like this; it's never a goal on the onset of the season to set the consecutive wins record, it's not something you think of," Hyman said. "But when it's attainable, it's pretty wild. The fact that we were able to set the Oilers' record was pretty special with the teams that have been here. And then we set the Canadian record which was pretty special with the teams that have won the Stanley Cup with those Montreal Canadiens teams.
"Now we are closing in on the actual record which is pretty wild, too. Along the streak, you have different milestones that you hit that are pretty good."
The franchise record for longest winning streak was nine set by the Oilers in 2000-01 and matched last season. The Canadian record was 12 set by the Montreal Canadiens in 1967-68. Two other teams have win streaks of 15 games; the New York Islanders in 1981-82 and Penguins in 2012-13; and the Columbus Blue Jackets had a 16-game winning streak in 2016-17.
"When we hit the Canadian record is when I started wondering what the actual record was," Hyman said. "[Sam Gagner] actually knew, because he had been on that Columbus team and told us they fell short by one game."
The current streak, along with an eight-game winning streak from Nov. 24-Dec. 12, helped Edmonton get back in the Stanley Cup Playoff race. The Oilers fell to the bottom of the NHL standings after a 2-9-1 start, which led to a coaching change on Nov. 12. Coach Jay Woodcroft and assistant Dave Manson were replaced by Knoblauch and Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey, respectively.
Since the change, the Oilers are an NHL-best 25-6-0, including 23-3-0 since Nov. 24. Edmonton is third in the Pacific Division, generating a different mood in the locker room, which Perry noticed immediately.
"You can tell how close they really are; obviously when you win 15 in a row, you're going to be a little bit lighter in the dressing room and a little bit happier," Perry said. "You can really see how close they are and what it means to them and what each person means to each other. It's been a warm welcome for me and I'm excited to really get down to the nitty gritty and play hockey and to get to know everybody as well at the same time."
