BLOG: Oilers to benefit from All-Star break despite win streak

EDMONTON, AB – For now, the chance for the Edmonton Oilers to equal the longest win streak in NHL history will have to wait until after NHL All-Star Weekend.

Because when the rest is offered to you in this League – even with a historic record run intact – you must take it.

“Anytime you're winning games, you don't want that break,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “But I think a lot of the guys are a little banged up and need that rest.”

The Oilers enter the All-Star break having gone through their most successful month in franchise history, winning 11 out of 11 games during January to grow their franchise-record win streak to 16 games – just one shy of tying the NHL record of 17 set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Edmonton is now 24-3-0 in their last 27 games, making them the third team in NHL history to achieve that return, and have gone a franchise-record 14 consecutive matches in a row without allowing more than two goals while averaging 3.64 goals per game.

In goal, their netminder Stuart Skinner has ascended into the Oilers record books with 12 consecutive wins to pass legendary goaltender Grant Fuhr, while Calvin Pickard has served as a steady backup with a four-game win streak, .915 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average to his name this year.

The power play (29.1 percent) and penalty kill (95.5 percent) are also top-five in the NHL since the start of 2024, where the Oilers have let to lose, so there are plenty of reasons why there might be trepidation over putting the schedule on pause for nine days.

“It's exciting. I think obviously, it's a great run,” said Connor McDavid, who’ll head to his seventh All-Star game in Toronto this weekend. “I feel like the boys have played great. I thought 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.”

However, this won’t be the first time the Blue & Orange have had a winning streak put on hold this season after their four-game run that began their incredible 27-game stretch back in late November was halted by a mid-season six-day hiatus.

The time off allowed them to address a few nagging injuries and hold some important practices early on in Knoblauch’s tenure behind the Oilers bench, and the head coach is hoping the All-Star break allows his players to do the same and recharge emotionally before they enter a physically demanding final 37 games of the regular season with 37 games in the final 72 days – including seven back-to-back sets.

"I think this scenario now, guys have been pushing so hard and they know about the streak they know about," Knoblauch said. "It's just good for everybody to reset and come back and get recharged for the second half of the season."

Despite winning 16 games in a row, there's still a shared feeling in the Oilers dressing room that their game is far from perfect and there's plenty for them to still work on. This time around, they won't be afforded the luxury of having some extra practice time over this break.

"During the second half of the season, we don't have as many breaks," Knoblauch added. "Our schedule has to be well thought out about what we need to work on and things that we're going to address each practice, so it's going to be a challenge for the second half."

Matching, and then exceeding the NHL record is now firmly on Edmonton's radar from the buzz around the NHL that's been generated from their incredible streak, but it's not discounting the fact that win or lose, there'll be another game after that'll mean just as much in the standings as their previous 29 victories this season.

"It would be great," Skinner said. "It would feel good for a moment and then, you realize that you've got a game the next day or the next two days later, so that's kind of how it is. You definitely want to enjoy those moments and celebrate those wins, but there's a lot more work to be had."

Upon their return from the All-Star break, the Oilers are lined up to try and match the NHL record for consecutive victories in the hostile environment of T-Mobile Arena – the home of the Vegas Golden Knights where Edmonton is plenty familiar with.

"It should be fun," McDavid said. "We obviously owe Vegas a good game in their rink. It's a fun building to play in. We love playing there. We know firsthand the environment, and they're a great team that's also playing well, so it's something to look forward to at the end of the break."