For the first time in Edmonton Oilers history, the Oilers have won 10 games in a row. This fact is a little shocking for me that with all the great Oilers teams in the 80s, they never put together a 10-game winning streak. That doesn't matter now as this team has and the record is theirs.
It was touch and go last night though for the Oilers as they trailed for the majority of the game. The Canadiens took the lead at the 1:43 mark of the first period when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins's penalty put the Oilers short-handed and Caufield capitalized on the man advantage.
The Oilers were unable to tie the game up till early in the third period when Draisaitl tapped in a loose puck that was sitting at the side of the net uncovered. The Canadiens did challenge the goal, but after review, it was a good goal.
After that goal, the Edmonton Oilers absolutely peppered Sam Montembeault with 19 shots in the 3rd period, but Montembeault stood tall and didn't let any goals in, willing the Canadiens to overtime and at least one point.
In overtime, the Canadiens took a penalty and the Edmonton Oilers' powerplay made them pay by scoring to secure the win and a much-needed two points. With the two points the Edmonton Oilers are now only 1 point behind the LA Kings for 3rd in the Pacific and 6 points behind the 2nd place Golden Knight with 4 games in hand.
While the Edmonton Oilers have won their last 10, both the Golden Knights and Kings have struggled lately. The Golden Knights are 3-7 in their last 10 while the Kings are 2-4-4. The Oilers have gained 14 points on both Vegas and LA in this period. If things continue to trend this way the Oilers may have a chance to secure a home game.
Oilers Have Two Big Games This Week
As much as it is sweet to have set a new franchise record for consecutive wins the Edmonton Oilers need to keep focused on earning points moving forward. This coming week will not be an easy one for the Oilers.
On Tuesday they will be back in Edmonton to face the Toronto Maple Leafs, there is no love lost between these teams and their fan bases. These two points are important for both teams as the Oilers want to keep climbing the Pacific while the Leafs want to hold on to their spot in the Atlantic Division.
After the Leafs the Oilers will host the Seattle Kraken, after the Oilers the Kraken are the hottest team in the NHL having won 9 games in a row. The Kraken are also climbing their way up the Pacific Division standings. They have the same amount of points as the Oilers, but have played 3 more games than the Oilers.
This is an important week for the Edmonton Oilers to show what they are made of. If they can win both of these games, it will prove to the league that the Oilers are the team that we all thought they were heading into the season.