It’s been a few days now since the Edmonton Oilers’ quest for the Stanley Cup came to a screeching halt when they were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final after dropping Game 4 in overtime on Monday (June 6).
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While the loss to the Avalanche is going to sting for a while in Oil Country, enough time has now passed that fans can begin celebrating what was a magical five-week run of postseason hockey in Edmonton, as the Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in Round 1, then knocked off the Calgary Flames in five games to reach the Conference Final for the first time since 2006 and just the second time since 1992.
Edmonton was an offensive juggernaut this postseason, scoring 65 times to average better than four goals per game in the playoffs for the first time since the Oilers last captured the Stanley Cup in 1990. Offensive records that had stood for decades dating back to Edmonton’s ’80s hockey dynasty fell early and often. Here’s a look at the top five individual franchise playoff records set by the 2022 Oilers as per the official NHL Records website.
Longest Goal Streak, Playoff Year: Zach Hyman
Zach Hyman scored in six consecutive games, a streak that started with Game 1 of the second round against the Flames and lasted through Game 1 against the Avalanche. That tied Esa Tikkanen’s Oilers record established in 1990, when the Finnish forward also tallied in six straight games, from Game 4 of the Smythe Division Semi-Final against the Winnipeg Jets through Game 2 of the Division Final against the Los Angeles Kings.
Over the six-game streak, Hyman scored seven times total and came up with some clutch goals, including the game-winner midway through the third period of Game 2 in Calgary. He ended up finishing the playoffs with 11 goals in 16 games, after scoring just five times in his previous 32 career postseason outings, all with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Most Multi-Goal Games, Playoff Year: Evander Kane
Evander Kane, whose 13 goals still leads all skaters in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, had five multi-goal performances to equal Jari Kurri’s record set in 1985.
Against the Kings, the 30-year-old winger scored twice in Game 2, notched a hat trick in Game 3, and potted two goals in Game 6. Kane then registered a hat trick in Game 2 at Calgary and followed that up with two more goals in Game 3 against the Flames.
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At that point, Kane appeared to be in an excellent position to break Kurri’s record, but he scored just once over Edmonton’s final five games (one for which he was suspended).
Most Goals, Playoff Period: Evander Kane
Kane’s three goals in Edmonton’s 4-1 Game 3 victory over the Flames all came in the second period, equaling the playoff franchise mark for most goals in one period that he now shares with Glenn Anderson, Wayne Gretzky and Petr Klima.
Kane scored what proved to be the winning goal at 6:58, lit the lamp again 53 seconds later, and then completed the natural trick when he tallied at 12:58 after coming out of the penalty box. The three goals came in a six-minute span, which was just 47 seconds shy of the franchise record for fastest three goals in a playoff game, set by Klima in Game 2 of the 1991 Campbell Conference Final against the Minnesota North Stars.
Most Assists, Playoff Period: Leon Draisaitl
In the same time frame that Kane tied the record for most goals in a period, Leon Draisaitl not only set an Oilers franchise record but also an NHL record for most assists in one playoff period.
Draisaitl assisted on Hyman’s goal just 52 seconds into the period, then had a helper on each of Kane’s three tallies. The previous record of three assists in one playoff period had occurred more than 100 times in NHL history, including over a dozen times by Oilers players.
Most Points, Playoff Period: Leon Draisaitl
Draisaitl’s aforementioned output also tied the league and franchise records for points in a period, four, previously achieved 19 times in NHL history, including twice by Oilers: Anderson (1988) and Gretzky (1987).
It speaks to the explosiveness of today’s Oilers that their players put up numbers not seen since the run-and-gun ‘80s when Edmonton’s lineup included three of the NHL’s all-time top-20 goal scorers (Gretzky, Mark Messier, Kurri), and three of the NHL’s top-six for assists all-time (Gretzky, Messier, Paul Coffey). This is a generational lineup, offensively, but it’s mediocre goaltending and defense that is keeping the Oilers from taking the next step in the playoffs. If, in next year’s postseason, Edmonton has a goalie delivering record-setting performances, they may finally get to that promised land of Stanley Cup glory.
