Three-game winning streak remains elusive for Edmonton

This really looked like it was going to be the one.

Nine times this season, the Edmonton Oilers have won back-to-back games. Not once have they managed to extend that into a three-game winning streak.

After two commanding wins last weekend, 6-0 on the road against the Vancouver Canucks and 5-0 at home versus the St. Louis Blues, this felt like as good a chance as any for the Oilers to finally put one of those elusive streaks together.

The New Jersey Devils rolled into town Tuesday, fresh off an overtime win the night before in Calgary to open a four-game road trip through the Pacific Division.

A middle-of-the-pack opponent playing the second leg of a back-to-back on the road should have been smooth sailing for the home side.

Instead, it was the visitors who skated away with a 2-1 win, with all three goals coming in a chaotic stretch of the second period. Arseni Gritsyuk opened the scoring for New Jersey, Matthew Savoie answered two minutes later, and Cody Glass buried what proved to be the game-winner just over a minute after that.

The Oilers pushed hard late, firing 13 shots on Jake Allen in the third period, but nothing found its way through. Allen stopped 22 of 23 shots for his 12th win of the season, while Tristan Jarry allowed two goals on 17 shots in the loss.

At some point, the pattern stops being bad luck and starts being who you are. The Oilers keep flirting with momentum, only to pull back at the exact moment it’s there for the taking. Until they show they can turn two good nights into three, the idea of this team finding another gear remains more hope than reality.

What they said…

Head coach Kris Knoblauch on Edmonton’s inability to go on a winning streak…

“The fact that we haven’t been able to get a little run, we want to get some momentum and win some games in a row, and that’s how you climb up the standings. I like the fact that we respond well after losses. We’ve got a good record after losses, but if we’re going to be a really good team and move up to the standings, we’ve got to be able to win more than two games in a row.”

Curtis Lazar on the challenge of winning in the NHL on any given night…

“It’s a tough league. Any given night, anyone can beat anyone. Tonight’s a prime example. We’ve got to be at our best. A great opportunity for us. Our division’s still up for grabs. We’ve got to keep on chipping away and stringing some wins together here, so we’re playing some good hockey, but we can’t take any nights off.”

“Win streaks are fun, but they’re not going to be given to you. As I said, it’s the best league in the world. These guys play hard. They played last night. They got on us early. We defended well, but again, we didn’t play fast enough to our identity.”

Matthew Savoie on what the Oilers did well in their loss to the Devils…

“I thought we were just playing faster in the third period, punching back lots and not letting them kind of get set in their neutral zone, and I just thought it allowed us to create a lot more. Get pucks on net and test him a little bit more. Obviously, he didn’t see a lot through the first two periods, I think 10 shots, so that was a point of emphasis, for sure.”

“I think it comes down to working in games like that where the puck’s not settling, or passes aren’t clicking like they normally are. So I think we just got to work our way out of that and be better.”

New Jersey head coach Sheldon Keefe on Jake Allen’s performance in net…

“He was outstanding. You knew Edmonton was going to have a surge. I thought we managed that in the first and second period probably as close to perfect as we could have. We knew they were going to have a push and we needed to get some saves, and he was outstanding. … Credit to him to stay with it and stay focused and be ready when called upon to seal the game in the third.”

Jake Allen on the Devils improving their game as the season goes along…

“I think there’s a little bit more maturity in our game. We had three or four wins before this trip, and a little bit more poise, a little bit more maturity, keeping the game a little bit more simple but playing sound defensively.

“We’re going to make mistakes, but I think for the most part we did a really good job, and until that third period, we didn’t give them a whole lot. I’m proud of the group.”

Up next…

The Oilers will continue their homestand on Thursday when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins. On Saturday, they’ll host the Washington Capitals.