The first rule of being on a winning streak? You don’t talk about being on a winning streak.
At least, that’s the mantra inside the Edmonton Oilers dressing room.
The Oilers can tie the NHL record with their 17th win in a row Tuesday night in Las Vegas. The record is held by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who went on their historic run in the spring of 1993.
The storylines write themselves. The Oilers could tie the record with a victory over the defending Stanley Cup-champion Golden Knights, the same team that ended their playoff run last spring.
WATCH | Oilers fans venture to Vegas in search of history:
The Oilers were downplaying the significance of the streak after Monday’s practice at Rogers Place.
“What’s made us so successful over the last little bit is that we didn’t talk about it,” said Oilers all-star forward Leon Draisaitl. “We didn’t make too big of a fuss out of it. We’re just going to continue down that path. It’s going to be a good test for us tomorrow, and hopefully, we can keep it going.”
“We’re not talking about it in there [the dressing room],” said captain Connor McDavid, who currently sits tied for fourth in the scoring race with 67 points. “I think, for us, it’s just about the day-to-day — staying focused on what’s in front of us. And what’s in front of us is a very good Vegas team, one that’s ahead of us in the standings, and one that we’d like to catch.”
“We’re just focused on playing our best hockey.”<br><br>Connor McDavid recaps his weekend at <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLAllStar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NHLAllStar</a> & looks ahead to tomorrow’s matchup in Vegas. <a href=”https://twitter.com/Enterprise?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Enterprise</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoOilers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#LetsGoOilers</a> <a href=”https://t.co/tObHmZjnMy”>pic.twitter.com/tObHmZjnMy</a>
—@EdmontonOilers
Made up for disastrous start
The Oilers’ win streak has pushed them to third in the Pacific Division, after a disastrous 3-9-1 start to the year that led to the firing of head coach Jay Woodcroft. The Oilers are five points behind Vegas, but have five games in hand. The Oilers are 12 points behind the first-place Vancouver Canucks, but have four games in hand.
The Oilers last played Jan. 27, when they beat Nashville 4-1 at Rogers Place. After a break for the all-star game and a bye week, some fans may feel that the team’s momentum was interrupted. However, coach Kris Knoblauch prioritizes…
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