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3 takeaways as Edmonton Oilers stretch winning streak to 16 after a dominant 4-1 win over Nashville
The Edmonton Oilers are the hottest team in the NHL, winners of the last 16 games and on the verge of tying a record for consecutive wins set over 30 years ago. In their final game before the All-Star break, the Oilers beat the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Saturday afternoon.
3 talking points from Edmonton Oilers' 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators
#1. Oilers on the brink of historic milestone
In 1992-93, the Pittsburgh Penguins won 17 consecutive games. Their place in the NHL record book has only been challenged once since that year when the Columbus Blue Jackets won 16 games in 2016-17.
Now, with a 4-1 win on Saturday, the Oilers are part of the conversation, having picked up the 16th consecutive win.
Considering Edmonton was picked by many hockey experts to win the Stanley Cup, they had a terrible start to the season, and only after a coaching change did they find success.
Since the change on Nov. 12, the club is a league-best 26-6-0 and should be a powerful force down the stretch as they chase the Vancouver Canucks for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
Hopefully, the Oilers didn't peak too early because the only team to win over 15 straight games during the regular season and win the Stanley Cup in the same year is the 1981-82 New York Islanders.
#2. Zach Hyman reaches the 30-goal plateau for the second consecutive season
Before joining the Oilers for the 2021-22 season, Zach Hyman had a career-high of 21 goals, setting the milestone in 2019 and tying it in 2020 while skating with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In just two and half seasons with Edmonton, he's already netted 93 goals in 199 games, with a personal best of 36 in 2022-23.
After 44 games this year, Hyman has reached 30 goals and is on pace to reach at least 40, if not 50, should he continue tearing it up down the stretch. Playing alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl has turned him into one of the league's most unpaid ($5 million) elite goal scorers.
#3. Given a chance to end the streak, Predators continue mediocre January
The Predators are clinging to the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference and haven't done themselves any favors in January, earning an even 6-6-0 split with one more game to go. Although they are usually a difficult opponent for the Oilers, it appeared on Saturday afternoon that they were no challenge for a dominant Edmonton team.
In the past six contests, Nashville failed to score more than a single goal for the third time. Unsurprisingly, they are 2-4 in those games. Considering that the Predators have been one of the leading teams in the wildcard race, this subpar play will catch up with them sooner rather than later.
They have a slight one-point lead over the St. Louis Blues and a two-point advantage over the Seattle Kraken. Before the new year, they were 20-16-1, but if they continue to alter wins and losses, the Predators could miss out on the postseason.
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