Edmonton Oilers’ 16th straight win ties record for second longest streak in NHL history

The high-flying Edmonton Oilers keep on rolling, and are close to doing something that has not been accomplished in over three decades.

After beating the Nashville Predators on Saturday, the Oilers have extended their franchise-record win streak to 16 games.

Edmonton’s previous record was nine, set during the 2000-01 and 2022-23 seasons.

The victory ties them with the 2016-17 Columbus Blue Jackets for the second-longest win streak in NHL history. Now, the Oilers are just one win away from tying the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 17-game run they set during the 1992-93 season.

There are plenty of similarities between the Pens and Oilers’ juggernauts. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman carry the Edmonton attack similar to how Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Kevin Stevens carried the mail in Pittsburgh.

The teams also had goaltenders that some say overperformed – Stuart Skinner and Tom Barrasso – but we can leave that argument for a rainy day.

It will be tough for McDavid and Co. to tie the record, as they take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in their first game back from the All-Star break on Feb. 6. It will be the second time the division rivals have met this season, with Edmonton pulling out a 5-4 shootout win on Nov. 28.

Vegas is five points ahead of Edmonton for second in the Pacific.

The Oilers’ hot streak began on Dec. 21, with a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils, which, at that point, improved the team’s record to 14-15-1.

To put things in perspective, Edmonton was sixth in the Pacific Division, 13 points behind the Los Angeles Kings for third. Now, they are third in the division, six points clear of the fourth-place Kings.

While the win streak has been impressive, some of the underlying numbers have also been eye-opening. The Oilers have given up more than two goals just twice, that coming in their first two wins of this stretch. They also have only played five one-goal games, with their 2-1 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 13 sitting as the last time that happened.