Golden Knights end Oilers’ streak at 16
Edmonton falls one win shy of tying record set by 1992-93 Penguins
Chandler Stephenson scored the go-ahead goal, Adin Hill stopped 30 shots and the Vegas Golden Knights brought an end to the Edmonton Oilers’ 16-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
Edmonton was looking to tie the 1992-93 Penguins for the longest NHL win streak.
Instead, with the game tied 1-1 after two periods, Stephenson took a pass from Jonathan Marchessault and ripped a shot from the center of the left circle to beat Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner blocker side to put the Golden Knights in front by a goal less than two minutes into the third period.
From there, Hill was spectacular in keeping the Oilers at bay while keeping the crowd energized until the final horn.
Hill, who came in leading the NHL in goals-against average (1.94) and save percentage (.936), made the save of the night when he stymied Leon Draisaitl on a backdoor one-timer late in the third period.
Nic Roy and William Karlsson also scored for the Golden Knights.
Connor McDavid scored for the Oilers. Skinner made 23 saves.
The Oilers, who opened the season 3-9-1 before firing coach Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12, were just 13-15-1 before their win streak started. Edmonton
hadn’t lost a game since Dec. 19 and has improved its record to 29-16-1.
The Oilers have an NHLbest 26-7-0 record since Kris Knoblauch’s first game as bench boss on Nov. 13.
Edmonton wasn’t deterred by committing the first penalty game. After Vincent Desharnais’ poke check forced a turnover to spring a 2-on-0 rush, McDavid took a pass from Draisaitl and beat Hill to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead with a short-handed goal.
It was McDavid’s 10th goal and 27th point during the Oilers’ 17-game run.
Vegas tied the game when Roy gathered a rebound from the crease, worked the puck to his backhand, and snapped it past Skinner for his 10th goal of the season.
Karlsson’s empty-net goal with 34 seconds left iced the game for Vegas.
Other games
Flyers 2, Panthers 1: Noah Cates scored the go-ahead goal 2:36 into the third period, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Florida Panthers. Cates’ goal was his first since Oct. 24, snapping a 22-game drought for the 25-year-old forward. He picked up a loose puck near the high slot, skated in alone and scored unassisted for what became the game-winner. The Flyers snapped their five-game losing streak in their first game since Jan. 27 following the NHL’s All-Star break. Travis Konecny also scored for Philadelphia, and Samuel Ersson made 20 saves.
Devils 5, Avalanche 3: John Marino scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period and Vitek Vanecek made 35 saves as host New Jersey beat Colorado. After the Avalanche tied the contest with two quick goals earlier in the third, Marino put New Jersey ahead at 17: 43 with his fourth goal of the season.
Canadiens 5, Capitals 2: Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky each scored twice, and visiting Montreal handed Washington a fifth consecutive loss despite Alex Ovechkin recording his 10th goal of the season and 832nd of his NHL career.
Canucks 3, Hurricanes 2: Elias Lindholm scored two power-play goals in similar fashion in his first game with Vancouver and J.T. Miller provided the winning goal in the Canucks’ victory against host Carolina. Miller, a former Coraopolis resident, scored his 22nd goal of the season.
Stars 2, Sabres 1: Jake Oettinger stopped 47 shots and Sam Steel scored midway through the second period, helping visiting Dallas beat Buffalo for its fourth victory in a row. Dallas celebrated Joe Pavel ski’ s 1,300th NHL game with a win. He became the seventh U.S.-born player to reach that career milestone, and 69th overall.
Flames 4, Bruins 1: Andrei Kuzmenko scored in his Calgary debut, Nazem Kadri had three assists and visiting Calgary beat Boston.
Notes
The Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field will host the 2025 Winter Classic between the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, a source confirmed to the Chicago Tribune.
• Former Ottawa Senators coach D.J. Smith was hired as an assistant coach by the Los Angeles Kings. Smith and Jim Hiller spent four seasons together in Toronto as assistants on Mike Babcock’s staff.