Oilers attempt to match longest win streak in NHL history vs. Golden Knights

The Edmonton Oilers can enter rarefied air on Tuesday night as they kick off their second half schedule against the Vegas Golden Knights. With a win, the Oilers would match the longest winning streak in National hockey League history at 17 games, tying the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Edmonton (29-15-1) has not lost a game in 2024 and the club has been red hot since Nov. 26, winning 24 of its past 27 games. After a slow start to the season, the Oilers now sit third in the Pacific Division, five points behind the second-place Golden Knights (29-15-6), with five games in hand.

“It’s special,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said, following the team’s 16th-straight win. “It takes a lot of good efforts and a lot of good games to get to that number. 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.”

Captain Connor McDavid has recorded nine goals and 26 points during the win streak, including three goals and seven points over the past two games, helping the Oilers tie the 2016-17 Columbus Blue Jackets for the second-longest win streak in NHL history. Draisaitl has added 10 goals and 23 points during the streak, while Zach Hyman leads the team in scoring with 12 goals over the past 16 games.

“It’s exciting, obviously it’s a great run, obviously the goalies have played great,” 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.”

Goaltender Stuart Skinner has been stellar during the streak, posting a 12-0-0 record with a .950 save percentage and a 1.41 goals-against average. The 25-year-old now holds the club record with 12 consecutive wins, one more than Grant Fuhr. Skinner is now two wins shy of tying the longest winning streak by a goaltender in a single season held by  Tiny Thompson (1929-30), Tom Barrasso (1992-92), and Jonas Hiller (2013-14). 

“It’s pretty remarkable being in the situation that I am in, and being able to do this is all thanks to my teammates and the coaches and the amazing people who have helped me on the way,” Skinner told the media prior to the Oilers win over the Nashville Predators.

The Oilers and Golden Knights have faced off once this season, with Edmonton taking a 5-4 win at home on Nov. 28. 

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

Despite being on the verge of history, Oilers’ coach Kris Knoblauch says the streak is not at the forefront of the locker room and that the team will continue to take their schedule one game at a time.

"We know about the streak only because [the media] have talked about it. You bring it up. You ask us in these questionnaires, but honestly, we don't talk about it in the room,” said Knoblauch. “Maybe it's on our minds a little bit, but as boring as it sounds, we take it one game at a time and we're worried about who our next opponent is. It feels good to win any game after it's done and you come in after a victory. Those feel good and it doesn't matter how many it's been in a row."