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Oilers are on the verge of tying franchise record; what is their top mark for most consecutive wins?
On Thursday night, the Edmonton Oilers are vying for their ninth consecutive victory, which would tie a franchise record for the longest winning streak in their 44-year history. Interestingly, in the Connor McDavid era, which began in 2015, this could be the club's second run of nine wins in a row.
Considering the Oilers were arguably the most successful teams of the 1980s with five Stanley Cup titles in seven seasons, most of their longest streaks occurred in this decade. Outside of the current run, the team has only collected seven more wins twice this century.
As the team prepares to host the Tampa Bay Lightning with hopes of tying the record, we take a step back to look at other lengthy win streaks in team history.
Most Consecutive Win Streaks in Oilers History
7 Games (Mar. 3, 1987 to Mar. 17, 1987)
After ending February on a four-game losing streak, the Oilers began March with a victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Moreover, they would win the next seven contests, outscoring opponents 44-22.
As their longest win streak of the season, they beat the Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Hartford Whalers, and New Jersey Devils, eventually losing to provincial rival Calgary Flames on Mar. 19, 1987.
7 Games (Feb. 24, 1986 to Mar. 9, 1986)
During the 1985-86 campaign, the Oilers compiled four winning streaks of five games or more, reaching a season-high seven games in late February and early March, dominating opponents on the scoreboard 37-16.
Initially, the streak began with a win over the Canadiens, followed by victories against the Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, Canucks, Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Kings again before a shutout loss to the Minnesota North Stars ended the streak on Mar. 9, 1986.
7 Games (Oct. 5, 1983 to Oct. 19, 1983)
How good were the 1983-84 Oilers? Besides capturing their first Stanley Cup title that season, they had four winning streaks over seven games, which account for 36% of the totals on this list.
After losing to the New York Islanders in the 1983 Stanley Cup Final, Wayne Gretzky & Co. steamrolled through the first seven games of the 1983-84 season, racking up 44 goals in defeats over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jets, North Stars, Red Wings, Flames (back-to-back), and Canucks.
Eventually, the future champions lost to the Kings 7-2 on Oct. 20, 1983, for their first defeat of the season.
8 Games (Nov. 24, 2023 to Present)
Approaching the end of November 2023, the Oilers, the projected favorites to win the Stanley Cup, had a 5-12-1 record and were near the bottom of the league standings. Eventually, a coaching change ignited the team, and they haven't lost since Nov. 22, 2023.
Starting with a victory over the Washington Capitals, the club stretched their latest streak to eight games thanks to wins over the Anaheim Ducks, Vegas Golden Knights, Jets, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, Devils, and Chicago Blackhawks, with the Lightning listed as their next opponent.
8 Games (Nov. 17, 1984 to Dec. 7, 1984)
After hoisting the Stanley Cup in May 1984, the club began their first title defense by going 12-0-3 in their first 15 games, lighting up opposing goalies with 81 goals. Although they didn't lose a game until mid-November, their first longest win streak came after a three-game losing streak.
Starting on Nov. 17, 1984, with a win against the Canucks, the Oilers went on to beat the Jets, St. Louis Blues, Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Whalers, Islanders, and North Stars before a 3-2 loss in overtime to the Canucks ended the streak on Dec. 7, 1984.
8 Games (Jan. 19, 1985 to Feb. 3, 1985)
As mentioned earlier, the 1984-85 Oilers were the most dominant team in the NHL, going lengthy stretches without losing a game, including collecting another eight-game win streak in late January.
Naturally, the latest streak began with a victory over the Canucks, followed up by wins over the Kings, Devils, Penguins, Flames (back-to-back), New York Rangers, and Whalers before a 6-2 loss to the Jets on Feb. 6, 1985.
8 Games (Feb. 15, 1984 to Feb. 27, 1984)
Heading into the final stretch of the 1983-84 regular season, the Oilers capped off their third eight-game streak of the year in February, outscoring opponents 53-27.
On their quest for the Smythe Division crown, they edged the Jets, Bruins, Penguins, Blues, Penguins, Flames, Maple Leafs, and Jets again before losing to the Flyers on Feb. 29, 1984.
8 Games (Dec. 26, 1983 to Jan. 11, 1984)
By this point, we've come to appreciate how dominant the Oilers were in 1983-84, so they gave themselves a lovely Christmas gift that season by tying a franchise record they set two months prior by matching an eight-game win streak to close out the calendar year.
Starting with a victory over the Flames on Boxing Day (Dec. 26), the Oilers rolled through the Canucks, Bruins, Flames (again), North Stars, Whalers, Red Wings, and Blackhawks before suffering their first loss of 1984 on Jan. 13 to the Sabres. Overall, they outscored everyone by a 50-28 margin.
8 Games (Oct. 29, 1983 to Nov. 12, 1983)
Ultimately, the first time the Oilers ever won eight consecutive contests occurred in late October 1983 and lasted until mid-November. After losing in the Stanley Cup Final the previous season, the team stormed out of the gates in 1983, compiling a 19-4-3 record before the end of November.
During this stretch, the Oilers collected eight straight wins, starting with a victory over the Canadiens and extending through games with the Rangers, Capitals, Penguins, Jets, Quebec Nordiques, Capitals (again), and the Red Wings, before ending on Nov. 13, 1983, in a game against the Blackhawks.
9 Games (Mar. 27, 2023 to Apr. 13, 2023)
As the Oilers attempted to catch the Golden Knights for the Pacific Division title in 2023, the club finished the regular season by tying a franchise record with nine consecutive games, outscoring opponents 39-14.
Overall, the Oilers were 20-4-1 in the final 25 games of the season, including a streak of nine wins that started against the Arizona Coyotes on Mar. 27, 2023, and included follow-up victories against the Golden Knights, Kings, Ducks, Kings, Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, and Sharks.
Despite their success at the end of the regular season, the Oilers only played 12 playoff games, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights in the second round.
9 Games (Feb. 20, 2001 to Mar. 13, 2001)
Before McDavid and Leon Draisaitl led the Oilers on an epic finish to the 2022-23 season, the team's best stretch of hockey occurred during the 2000-01 season, when they collected nine consecutive victories in late February into mid-March.
Despite not advancing past the first round that postseason, the team, led by Doug Weight and Tommy Salo, ripped through opponents for a stretch, compiling a 9-0-0 record while scoring 35 goals and giving up just 13.
Starting on Feb. 20, 2001, with a victory over the Kings, Edmonton wouldn't lose again until Mar. 14, 2001, against the Florida Panthers, collecting wins over the Flames, Dallas Stars, Blues, Wild, Maple Leafs, Sabres, Hurricanes, and Lightning.
Interestingly, the team ended the season with a 4-5-3 record after the win streak, finishing behind the Avalanche in the Northwest Division and losing to the Stars in six games in the Stanley Cup playoffs' opening round.
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