EDMONTON 鈥� The Edmonton Oilers head into a game against their provincial rivals with a chance to close in on NHL history.聽
The Oilers will be going for their 13th win in a row when they visit the Calgary Flames on Saturday night. The NHL record is 17 consecutive wins.
It鈥檚 OK if you can't immediately recall who holds that mark, because Oilers defenceman Vincent Desharnais doesn鈥檛 know, either.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know, I don鈥檛 want to know, I don鈥檛 really care,鈥� he said after Friday鈥檚 practice at Rogers Place.
That would be the Pittsburgh Penguins, who went on a 17-game heater through March and April of 1993.
In front of the cameras, Desharnais and his teammates tell reporters that they really aren鈥檛 paying any attention to the record books. But the current 12-game mark is tied with the 1967-68 Montreal Canadiens for the longest winning streak by a Canadian team.
Leon Draisaitl, who had a power-play goal and three assists in Thursday鈥檚 4-2 win over Seattle, said the last time he鈥檚 ever played on a team that鈥檚 been this hot was back in Germany. And, because he was a kid at the time, he鈥檚 not sure if it counts.
鈥淚n Germany, we鈥檇 lose four games all year,鈥� Draisaitl said with a smile. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 not really comparable to the NHL. There鈥檚 nothing quite like this one. It鈥檚 special, it鈥檚 a great feeling, but tomorrow we鈥檝e got to get up and there鈥檚 a new challenge ahead of us. It鈥檚 a big one. Teams are coming for us now. We know that. We鈥檙e aware of that, so we鈥檝e got to bring our game every night.鈥�
Through the first two months of the season, it would be hard to imagine that the Oilers could have managed such a streak. On Nov. 12, with the team at 3-9-1, head coach Jay Woodcroft and Dave Manson, who coached the defensive corps, were fired. They were replaced by rookie head coach Kris Knoblauch, while Hall of Fame defenceman Paul Coffey took over from Manson.
Since Knoblauch took over, the Oilers are 22-6-0. They had an eight-game winning streak before the current 12-gamer. Knoblauch was coaching the New York Rangers鈥� AHL affiliate at the start of the season. Now, he may be in contention for NHL coach of the year.
After the win over the Kraken, Knoblauch was asked what he would say at the beginning of November if someone had told him this is how the next few months of his life would unfold.
鈥�(I鈥檇 say) they were crazy that I鈥檇 be getting the opportunity mid-season as it is,鈥� said Knoblauch. 鈥淓verything after that would be absolute nonsense. But just that first part, of me being a head coach, mid-season, in this situation, and being able to come to an organization like this, is just unfathomable.鈥�
Under Knoblauch, the Oilers are showing they don鈥檛 need to score five goals a game in order to be successful. Connor McDavid and Draisaitl aren鈥檛 running away with the scoring race, as was the case last season. The power-play isn鈥檛 tops in the league. But in each of their last 10 wins, they鈥檝e surrendered two goals or fewer.聽
At no time in the McDavid Era, has this team played better hockey 鈥� even though the captain is not dominating the race for the Art Ross Trophy.
And they've been winning with resiliency. The Oilers have surrendered the first goal in each of their last five games. In Tuesday鈥檚 win over Toronto and Thursday鈥檚 victory over Seattle, they went down 2-0.聽
At some point, this team will look back at this streak and savour it. Just not now.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 something we鈥檒l appreciate at the end,鈥� said Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in it, you鈥檝e just got to worry about the next game or the next moment. The reason we鈥檙e in the position we鈥檙e in and we鈥檝e put together these wins is that we鈥檙e not looking at the past, we鈥檙e looking at the future and taking care of the moments.鈥�
鈥淩ight now, you just try to continue to get better and continue the way we鈥檝e been playing,鈥� added Draisaitl. 鈥淎nd, maybe, we鈥檒l think back after the year or whenever. That鈥檚 when you have time to reflect. Right now, we鈥檙e in the moment.鈥�
After facing Calgary, the Oilers are home to Columbus (Tuesday), Chicago (Thursday) and Nashville (next Saturday). If they win those, the record-tying 17th game would be against the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 6. Game 18 would be Feb. 9 in Anaheim.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2024.
Steven Sandor, The Canadian Press
