Not all stats are great, and for the Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues, a lack of a three-game win streak at this point of the season isn't a record they want to hold.
The Edmonton Oilers and the St. Louis Blues share an ignominious record as the only NHL teams that haven’t strung together three straight wins.
On Saturday, the Oilers had a golden opportunity to leave St. Louis alone in singing these particular blues, facing a Los Angeles Kings team playing in the second game of a back-to-back.
They blew the opportunity, though, losing 4-3 in a shootout to ensure they will remain in the unenviable two-team club until at least Thursday.
Oilers' Missed Opportunities
Despite a season more inconsistent than Edmonton’s weather, Kris Knoblauch’s team have had eight opportunities to win three straight.
With the latest setback, the Oilers dropped to 0-6-2 when attempting to win a third successive game. Things looked promising early, with the good vibes oozing from Rogers Place thanks to pre-game festivities celebrating Leon Draisaitl's 1000-point milestone.
At least Draisaitl did his part, with the 30-year-old scoring his 22nd and 23rd goals of the season. And if you’re looking for another silver lining, Connor McDavid extended his point streak to 18 games, setting a personal best.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)Which Other Teams Have Struggled To Assemble Winning Runs?
The 27th-ranked Nashville Predators have assembled one three-game winning streak thus far, while the Philadelphia Flyers have put together two three-game winning streaks.
Even the Oilers’ loathed neighbors to the south, the Calgary Flames, have three three-game win streaks, one of which began with a 3-2 win over the Oilers.
Saturday’s opponent, the Kings, secured a four-game win streak in mid-November, thanks to road victories over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators.
Speaking of the Maple Leafs, they’ve strung together three three-game winning streaks, while the Senators and Chicago Blackhawks have managed to muster a three-game and a four-game winning streak.
When Was The Last Time The Oilers Struggled This Much To Win 3 Straight?
Despite last season’s early-season struggles, the Oilers strung together their first three-game win streak in mid-November.
By this time last season, they had already accumulated five win streaks of three games or more. You’d have to go back to the 2020-21 season to source the last time the Oilers went without a three-game win streak beyond Jan. 11.
That, however, was due to the pandemic-impacted season beginning in mid-January.
Comparing apples to apples, you’d have to travel back in time to 1999-2000 to source the last iteration of the Oilers that didn’t win three in a row this deep into a regular season. That team’s first three-game winning streak occurred at the start of February.
The current squad has 11 games to get this oversized monkey off their collective backs before joining former captain Doug Weight, head coach Kevin Lowe, and Co. in Oilers’ infamy.
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