Golden Knights End the Oilers Win Streak
After the All-Star weekend, the Oilers came back to regular season play on the brink of NHL history. With a win over the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the Oilers would have matched the longest win streak in league history with 17 straight wins, tying the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1992-93 season. The Oilers brought an undefeated month of January into the All-Star break and headed into Las Vegas aiming to keep that same luck up in February. The Golden Knights have also brought an impressive resume to the table, standing as a top 5 team in the Western Conference. As the national game of the night, all eyes were on two of the top teams in the Pacific division.
Early in the game, familiar faces from All-Star weekend kept themselves in the light, as Connor McDavid put the Oilers on top 1-0 in the first five minutes. McDavid is coming off a one-million-dollar paycheck at the All-Star break for winning the skills competition and didn’t miss a beat. However, this was the last time the Oilers would see a lead in the game. Right before the closing of the first period, Las Vegas tied it up with two minutes left in the period.
From here on, it was lights-out defense that led the way for the Golden Knights. Adin Hill, the NHL’s leading goaltender in goals allowed per game came to play, saving 29 straight shots after letting McDavid get the best of him early. After a scoreless second period, Vegas got right to work in the third with a goal by Chandler Stephenson in the first two minutes. Vegas would go on to hold the lead the rest of the way and added to the fun with an empty net goal by William Karlsson, securing a 3-1 victory over the NHL’s hottest team. The Golden Knights came out of the All-Star break the right way, when it’s most important to be playing their best hockey, as they look to repeat as champions once again. For the Oilers, they’ll look to right the ship once again against a subpar Anaheim Ducks squad and build a streak once again after coming up one game shy of history.
