With Tuesday night's 3-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Edmonton Oilers' win streak ends at 16 games in a row.
The 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins still stand alone regarding the longest winning streak in NHL history, but the Edmonton Oilers got close.
With the Vegas Golden Knights' 3-1 victory on Tuesday night over the Oilers, Edmonton's bid to become just the second team to win 17 games in a row in a single season fell short in dramatic fashion. The loss marks the first time Edmonton has dropped a game since Dec. 19, 2023, when they fell 3-1 to the New York Islanders.
Edmonton's 16-game winning streak is tied for the second-longest in NHL history, with the 2016-17 Columbus Blue Jackets being the other squad to get to 16 straight victories before losing. It is also the longest winning streak by a Canadian team, surpassing the 1967-68 Montreal Canadiens, which won 12 straight.
Connor McDavid opened the scoring for the Oilers with a shorthanded goal, but that was the only time Edmonton lit the lamp. Nicolas Roy, Chandler Stephenson and William Karlsson scored for Vegas, and Adin Hill made 30 saves to stop the hottest team in the NHL as the Golden Knights shut down an Edmonton side that had scored three or more goals in each of its last six games.
Looking at the overall run, the Oilers used their success to propel themselves into a top-three spot in the Pacific Division with five games in hand on second-place Vegas, who sit seven points ahead. They showed how defensively responsible they can be, as the loss was the first game since Dec. 22 that they allowed three goals in a game.
For the Golden Knights, it was another big win against a divisional rival. Although it was only a regular-season win, the atmosphere at T-Mobile Arena felt like the Golden Knights just won a playoff game by being the team to end the streak.
It may be a while before another team comes close to 17 wins in a row, but Edmonton's run was easily one of the more exciting stories to follow this NHL season, especially after a 5-12-1 start to the campaign. While the streak may be over, the Oilers showed they are still very much alive in the Western Conference.