The Edmonton Oilers had their franchise-record win streak stopped at 16 games on Tuesday (Feb. 6), when they were beaten 3-1 by the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. It was the first time in seven weeks that Edmonton tasted defeat, and left the Oilers one game short of equaling the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins for most consecutive victories ever in the NHL.
Connor McDavid scored shorthanded to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into the game before Golden Knights forward Nicolas Roy tied things up with a goal late in the first period. After a scoreless second period, Chandler Stephenson tallied at 1:24 of the third to give Vegas the lead, and William Karlsson’s empty-net goal with 33 seconds remaining put the game on ice.
By winning in regulation, Vegas increased its lead for second place in the Pacific Division standings to seven points over the Oilers. Edmonton has played five fewer games than the Golden Knights.
The result stung Edmonton much more than the average midseason defeat, as the Oilers didn’t just lose the game, they lost their chance at making history. But in the big picture, Tuesday’s game in Las Vegas was just No. 46 of 82 on Edmonton’s 2023-24 regular season schedule. The only page in the record book that these Oilers care about is the one that lists Stanley Cup champions. And when it comes to pursuing their one true objective, the Oilers’ loss to Vegas might not be such a bad thing. Here’s why:
Record Streaks Don’t Equal Cup Championships
Pittsburgh was the two-time defending champions and favoured to three-peat when they set the NHL record by winning 17 consecutive games from March 9 to April 10, 1993. At that point, they looked like an unstoppable juggernaut, but only five weeks later they were shoved to the sidelines with a shocking upset loss to the New York Islanders in the second round of the 1993 Playoffs.
In fact, of the 11 longest single-season winning streaks in NHL history prior to 2023-24, only once did that team go on to win the Stanley Cup in the proceeding postseason. So if you’re an Edmonton fan who tends to be superstitious, maybe you should actually be thankful the Oilers didn’t set a new win streak record.
Oilers Can Take a Deep Breath
But if you don’t believe in luck, you surely believe in logic, and there are sound reasons why these teams that have gone on such incredible runs during the regular season haven’t been able to sustain their highest level of play into the spring.
The pressure of having to win game after game after game just to maintain a streak that is ultimately meaningless can be exhausting, physically and mentally. And when he spoke to the media following Tuesday’s loss, Oilers veteran defenceman Mattias Ekholm – one of only a few players on this Edmonton roster that has actually played in the Stanley Cup Final – seemed to allude to such fatigue.
“I’m kind of happy we don’t have to talk about (the win streak) anymore,” Ekholm said. “Obviously you want to win every game you can, but the closer we got to this whole record thing, the more and more talk there was about it, and now it’s behind us we have to start a new streak and keep playing well down the stretch to get us in a position where want to be.”
Oilers Know Level They Must Rise to
Perhaps it was no accident that Edmonton’s streak came to an end in Sin City against the team the Oilers are likely going to have to topple if they want to win their first championship in 34 years. Not only are the Golden Knights the defending Stanley Cup champs, but they’re also the team that knocked Edmonton out of the playoffs last year, and would be their first round opponent if the playoffs started today. As good – one might even say dominant – as the Oilers have looked against the rest of the NHL, Vegas is still the mountain they can’t quite scale.
Related: Oilers’ Success During Win Streak Is Sustainable Over Long Term
Beyond their championship calibre, the Golden Knights simply match up well against Edmonton. On Tuesday, Vegas beat the Oilers the same way that the Oilers have beaten everybody else these last several weeks: by prevailing in a lower-scoring game with smart, sound play, and capitalizing on opportunities.
The Oilers saw up close what they must become in order to win a championship. And it’s better to find this out now, prior to the trade deadline, when there is still time to make moves that will better equip the Oilers to face their white whale.
Edmonton will now have a couple days before they return to action on Friday (Feb. 9), and look to start a new win streak when they visit the Anaheim Ducks.
