EDMONTON — It’s been 40 days and 40 nights since the Edmonton Oilers last tasted defeat. But as the points rained down, two by two through 16 straight wins, the arc of this near-record winning streak hasn’t been nearly what you might have expected.
“I think what makes it special is that it’s been everybody, all together, pulling on the rope,” said captain Connor McDavid, who has had just three games of three points or better during this record run.
For this five-time Art Ross Trophy winner, that’s a slump.
“It hasn’t been one or two guys,” McDavid continued, “it’s been the entire group. Whether it’s D.R. (Derek Ryan) scoring a big goal, (the penalty killers) killing one off late in the third, or someone doing whatever.
“It’s been everybody pulling on the rope, and that’s what great groups do.”
With a 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday afternoon, the Oilers pulled to within a game of the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins’ NHL record of 17 straight wins. Only Edmonton, those Penguins, and the 2016-17 Columbus Blue Jackets have ever won 16 straight.
They’ll scatter to sunny climes with their families for their All-Star break — except for All-Star participants McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who will chill in Toronto — then the Oilers will reconvene for the game of the NHL season thus far:
A Super Bowl Week showdown with their bitter rivals the Vegas Golden Knights, a grudge match for the ages set for a week from Tuesday in Sin City.
An Edmonton win at Vegas would tie the all-time record for consecutive wins, 17, held by Mario Lemieux’s 1992-93 Penguins.
“It’s going to be a great game,” Draisaitl said, smiling. “Both teams are aware of what is happening and what is going on.”
We’ve got 10 days to look forward to that battle of the titans, the Oilers sitting just five points back of Vegas with four games in hand.
But what about winning out from Dec. 21 all the way to the All-Star break? Like, who does that?
“It takes a lot of good efforts and a lot of good games to get to that number,” allowed Draisaitl. “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.”
This run has been built on defence and goaltending, something nobody ever said about this franchise — even in the glory days.
Sure, Gretz and the boys tightened things up in the playoffs.
But December and January?
In Northern Alberta, they call those months “Run” and “Gun,” the way they’ve played hockey in this town over the years.
Yet, these Oilers have strung together 14 straight games allowing two goals or fewer, a team record that gets extended every time Edmonton suits up these days. It’s equal parts team defence and goaltending, the very two elements that have kept a Stanley Cup wannabe from being a true Stanley Cup contender here in The Big E.
On Saturday against the Predators, Stuart Skinner was all-world in goal. Nashville outshot Edmonton 30-21, won 58 per cent of the faceoffs and Filip Forsberg was the best player on the ice with nine shots on goal — and he went home without a point.
“I can’t remember the last time (Skinner) gave up more than two,” said Draisaitl. “It has been a while and hopefully it stays that way.”
“It’s been a lot of fun being able to be on the back end of these things,” said Skinner, the local boy who is starting to look very much like a franchise goalie, in just his sophomore NHL season. “We did everything we could to keep the puck out of our net.”
Just as the rest of the roster has begun to tire of providing the offence required to get to at least three goals every night, McDavid, Draisaitl and the power play have picked up the momentum, right on cue.
Against Nashville, McDavid had a goal and three assists — for seven points in his past two games — while Draisaitl had a goal and three points on a two-for-three night for the Oilers’ vaunted power play. Zach Hyman scored his 30th on an empty-netter, a $5.5-million winger who is on pace for 55 goals.
On one hand, as Nashville pushed the Oilers to the limit Saturday, you thought that perhaps the statute of limitations had run out on this skein. Then you see a 4-1 final score and think, if they can win this game by three goals, when are they going to finally lose?
“With the amount of games we have left, I’m guessing we’re probably going to lose again,” Skinner assumed. “Carey Price said this one time in an interview: ‘It’s never as bad as it (seems), and it’s really never as good, either.’ That’s super true.
“It seems like we can never lose again, like we’re on top of the world. But there are still a lot of things we need to dial in on the ice.”
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