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Oilers vs Golden Knights - 17 |
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Tonight, the Oilers will have a chance to tie a record that has existed since the 92/93 season. To date myself, I wasn't watching hockey at that time (on the account of being 2). Doug Weight was my first favorite player. Tommy Salo was my second.
Since that time a number of eras of players have come and gone. The Horcoff, Hemsky, and Smyth Era. The Gagner, Cogliano, Nilsson Era, the Hall, RNH, Paajarvi Era, and finally the McDavid and Draisaitl Era (though even this one took a few tries to get right).
The game of hockey has changed over the past four decades in remarkable ways, many of which have solidified some records as being unbreakable. Make no mistake, the Edmonton Oilers have the chance to do something incredible tonight. The players will talk about this just being another chance for 2 points but they certainly recognize the extra eyes on tonight's game.
In addition to chasing a 17th straight win, this is a game with playoff implications. Vegas currently sits 5 points ahead of the Oilers in the standings but Edmonton has 5 games in hand. A regulation win tonight buts the Oilers only 3 points back and helps their push for home ice advantage in this second half of the season.
The next few months are going to be a grind for the Oilers. Somehow, the Oilers have played fewer games than any other team in the NHL and eventually they are going to have to make up that ground. This month, after the Oilers play Vegas they have two days off. After that they play 11 games in 20 days including two different sets of back to back games. Eventually Edmonton is going to lose some games and the players and coaching staff are going to need to manage themselves to ensure they are heading into the post-season as healthy as possible.
The Oilers have played phenomenal hockey since the middle of December. Not only have they not lost a game since December 19th, they haven't allowed more than 2 goals against in a game since a 4-3 win against the Rangers on December 22nd. This team has played defensively sound hockey from the goaltender, through to the forwards. Despite a week long break the players need to dial it in early and ensure they play that way.
Enjoy the game!
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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