The Edmonton Oilers set a new franchise record with 10 consecutive wins, with a 2-1 overtime triumph over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Saturday (Jan. 13).
Defenceman Evan Bouchard scored on the power play at 2:01 of sudden death to give Edmonton its 10th straight victory and a place in history. Leon Draisaitl also tallied for the Oilers, tying the game 1-1 with a goal early in the opening minute of the third period after Montreal had led for nearly 40 minutes on the strength of Cole Caufield’s power-play goal just 1:43 into the game.
Edmonton improves to 23-15-1 and remains in the second Wild Card position in the Western Conference standings, with 47 points in 39 games.
Memorable Night for McDavid
Connor McDavid set up Bouchard’s game-winner, earning an assist on the goal. It was the 907th point of the Oilers captain’s career, which puts him in sole possession of fourth place on the Oilers’ all-time leaderboard. McDavid had come into the game tied with Hall-of-Fame winger Glenn Anderson, who had 906 points while playing with the Oilers from 1980 to 1991 and briefly in 1996.
Consider that the cherry on the sundae for McDavid, who turned 27 on Saturday, because there was really only one thing he wanted for his birthday: “10 straight wins,” he said while speaking with media prior to the game. “That would be my birthday wish.”
Oilers’ Power Play Delivers When Needed
Edmonton’s streak has progressed without a lot of contribution from its power play, which began Saturday having gone 4/23 (17.4%) over the first nine wins of the streak (in fact, the Oilers’ power play was a subpar 4/29 over the previous 11 games coming into Montreal). That trend continued at the Bell Centre, with Edmonton failing to convert on its first four power-play opportunities.
Late in the third period, during the game broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet, commentator Louie Debrusk shared his pre-game chat with Glen Gulutzan, the Oilers assistant coach who oversees Edmonton’s power play:
“I had a pretty good conversation with Glen Gulutzan this morning. He said, ‘You know, we haven’t really needed the power-play in this nine-game stretch’ … but I think when it’s the time of the game when they really need one, it will come to fruition.’”
Those words proved prescient when Edmonton got its fifth power play of the game, with Montreal’s Mike Matheson taking a high-sticking penalty 1:27 into overtime. Moments later, McDavid fed Bouchard for a one-timer from above the right face-off circle, and the rest is history.
Bouchard Goal Has Historic Parallels
Before Saturday, it had been nearly 23 years since the Oilers set a new franchise record for consecutive wins. That moment came on March 13, 2001, when Edmonton defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 at the Ice Palace for a ninth straight victory.
Related: Revisiting the Edmonton Oilers’ Franchise-Record Win Streak 20 Years Later
The Oilers also went to overtime before getting the win that night, and the game-winning goal was also scored by a defenceman, Eric Brewer. But that’s not where the synchronicity ends.
When the Oilers equaled that record last year with a ninth consecutive victory, beating the San Jose Sharks 5-2 at Rogers Place on April 13, 2023, the game-winning goal was also scored by a defenceman. That blueliner’s name? Bouchard, of course.
Skinner Continues Great Goaltending
While he only faced 24 shots, Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner made several difficult saves. After giving up such an early goal, he settled into rhythm and didn’t allow Montreal to score that all-important next goal that would have given the Habs a 2-0 lead.
Skinner has lowkey performed brilliantly during Edmonton’s winning streak, going 7-0 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.41 and save percentage (SV%) of .951 over the last 10 games. He’s got 16 wins since the Oilers changed coaches on Nov. 12, second most in the NHL over that span.
And yet, despite his tremendous play, Skinner wasn’t the most impressive goalie on the ice Saturday night. That honour goes to Montreal’s Sam Montembeault, who made 39 saves in regulation and faced 18 shots in the third period alone.
Oilers Look to Extend Streak
Edmonton’s win streak began on Dec. 21 with a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center and has included an incredible eight victories on the road. The eight straight road wins tie a single-season franchise record set during the 1986-87 season.
Now the Oilers return home to Rogers Place, where they will look to set a new benchmark with their 11th consecutive victory when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday (Jan. 16). This will be the first meeting of 2023-24 between the Oilers and Leafs, who split a pair of games last season, with each team winning at home.