Oilers take 16-game winning streak into extended break

EDMONTON -- Sixteen does not get any sweeter for the Edmonton Oilers heading into an extended break.

Edmonton defeated the Nashville Predators 4-1 at Rogers Place on Saturday for its 16th consecutive win and is one away from tying the NHL record of 17 set by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992-93.

The Oilers (29-15-1) will have been off for nine days when they resume play at the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 6 following the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend in Toronto on Feb. 1-3.

“It’s exciting. Obviously it’s a great run, obviously the goalies have played great,” Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said. “This past week wasn’t our best hockey and we found a way to get three wins, which is a great sign. We’ve gotten great goaltending, the back end has been good, the kill has been amazing. Those are all good things.”

Coach Kris Knoblauch believes the break can be a good thing rather than a momentum-stopper.

"Anytime you’re winning games you don’t want that break, but I think a lot of the guys are a little banged up and need that rest,” he said. “… I think this right now, guys have been pushing so hard, they know about the streak. I think it’s good to reset, get everyone to come back and get recharged for the second half of the season."

The streak, which began Dec. 21 with a 6-3 win at the New Jersey Devils to end a three-game slide, equals the second-longest run in NHL history, set by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2016-2017.

Along with way, the Oilers broke their previous record of nine straight wins, set in 2000-01 and matched last season, and set the record for the longest winning streak by a Canada-based team at 13, breaking the mark set by the Montreal Canadiens in 1967-68. Edmonton also has not allowed more than two goals in its past 14 games.

“I think what makes it special is that it’s been everybody,” McDavid said. “It’s been everybody all together pulling on the rope. It hasn’t been one or two guys, it’s been the entire group, whether it’s ‘DR’ (Derek Ryan) scoring a big goal, killing one (penalty) off late in the third or someone doing whatever. It’s been everybody pulling on the rope and that’s what great groups do, and we’ve shown that over the course of the stretch.”

The streak is impressive considering how improbable it seemed when the Oilers got off to a 2-9-1 start and fell to the bottom of the NHL standings. The struggles led to coach Jay Woodcroft and assistant Dave Manson being replaced by Knoblauch and Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey, respectively, on Nov. 12 with Edmonton at 3-9-1.

The Oilers have been vastly improved since and are 26-6-0 under Knoblauch. They also had an eight-game winning streak from Nov. 24 to Dec. 12.

“It’s special, it takes a lot of good efforts and a lot of good games to get to that number,” forward Leon Draisaitl said of the 16-game streak. “We have been a bit sloppy the last three games but have obviously had some individual performances that have gotten us the wins. You need that sometimes too. It’s been a great stretch for us.”

McDavid had a goal and three assists, and Draisaitl had a goal and two assists in the win against Nashville. Goalie Stuart Skinner had another strong outing, making 29 saves in the win.

Skinner has won 12 straight games, an Oilers record, and is two away from the NHL record of 14 achieved by Tiny Thompson of the Boston Bruins in 1929-30, Tom Barrasso of the Penguins in 1992-93, Jonas Hiller of the Anaheim Ducks in 2013-2014 and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Blue Jackets in 2016-17.

“He has been great,” Draisaitl said. “I can’t remember the last time he gave up more than two (Dec. 22). It has been a while and hopefully it stays that way. He has been great for us.”

Skinner took over the No. 1 goalie role when Jack Campbell was assigned to Bakersfield of the American Hockey League on Nov. 8 and Calvin Pickard was recalled to be the backup.

Skinner is 12-0-0 with a 1.41 goals-against average and .950 save percentage during the Oilers streak. He is 21-4-0 with a 2.06 GAA and .925 save percentage since Knoblauch took over.

It’s gotten to a point where it almost seems as though Skinner and the Oilers might never lose again.

“With the amount of games we have left, I’m guessing we’re probably going to lose again,” Skinner said, “but the way things are going – (former goalie) Carey Price once said one time in an interview that it’s never as bad as it is and it’s really never as good as it is either. That’s super true, and it seems like we can never lose again, and it seems like we’re on top of the world, but there are still a lot of things that we need to dial in on the ice. … There are a lot of things that we can keep getting better at, especially when we’re trying to get somewhere.”

Edmonton is back to being considered a Stanley Cup contender. It had those expectations going into the season after being eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by Vegas in the second round last season and in the Western Conference Final by the Colorado Avalanche in 2022; each went on to win the Stanley Cup.

After bottoming out in November, the Oilers are third in the Pacific Division.

Knoblauch said the streak is not on his players’ minds much as they enter the break.

“After it’s done and when you come in after a victory those feel good,” Knoblauch said, “but it doesn’t matter how many it’s been in a row.”