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Dominance and rage makes up the hottest headlines off the ice as we near the final days of January. Oilers are streakin' to the top of the history books, Islanders canned Lambert, and the top tier in hockey are beginning to distance themselves from the pack. That's the agenda, lets get to the banter.
Mighty Oilers! Edmonton has now extended their franchise record winning streak to 14 games as they are nearing epic history. Oilers felt this energy last season when they tied the the 2000-01 team's win streak of nine that was the previous franchise high. This year they top that and are really close to matching the NHL's longest winning streak of all-time. Oilers' current winning streak is tied for the fourth longest win streak in NHL history joining the 2009-10 Capitals and the 1929-30 Bruins. On Thursday, they have a golden opportunity against the basement Blackhawks to move it to 15. The record long is 17 by the 1992-93 Penguins. Edmonton is close and smells their kill in the distance. They have to defend the rig against the Blackhawks and Predators; then must travel to Vegas and Anaheim in order to secure their names in hockey galore for eternity.
Hockey fans are familiar with that team the Oilers are chasin' in the history books. Connor McDavid is familiar, as he is entering the point of his career where he begins to chase the captain of that '92 Pens squad in the individual side of the history books. The captain being the legend Mario Lemieux, of course. Oilers sure love THEIR captain. How good has McDavid been across the streak! The cat is back to his game-breakin' ways; as he has been ever since Kris Knoblauch took over as head coach. McJesus has been a maestro at dishin' the puck with 13 assists across the streak, scoring an assist in every win but four. Zach Hyman has been the one takin' the most advantage of McDavid's stellar passing as he is havin' an even better start this year, then he did in his breakout career year last season, ranking 6th in the NHL in goals currently (28). Hyman has 10 of his 28 goals across the winning streak. Hyman and McDavid are turning into a top tier 1-2 punch on the first line with Draisaitl holdin' Kane and Foegele's weight on the second line.
Oilers aren't just winning games, they are dominating them. Edmonton has outscored their opps 55-23 across the streak, with a shutout, and eight games scoring 4 goals or more. We can rave about their scoring and execution, but a lot of credit needs to go to Stuart Skinner, who is havin' a damn good season and has been excellent across the Oiler's winning streak. Skinner has played and won 11 of the 14 games. His 11th consecutive win in the net set the franchise record for most consecutive wins by a goaltender surpassing legend Grant Fuhr. Skinner is an outstanding 18-2 since November 24th. The cat is playin' like a top tendy in the league and is delivering gems with the glove like this robbery of Johnny Gaudreau:
video via Sportsnet//X
The only note on the streak: it has been against middle of the line opponents. The best wins are against the Rangers, Flyers, and Maple Leafs. They do have the pleasure of saying that five of the wins are against division foes, though. They will get the chance to make history in divisional enemy territory on top of that. I think there is a good shot they make it; hopefully I didn't jinx it, Oilers fans. They really have gone from the bottom five in the league, to the top ten with a shot to go even higher as they ride this hot streak. Choosing change can completely turn around a team.
Islanders have major rage and look for a change to give them similar results as the change that elevated the Oilers. Isles have canned head coach Lane Lambert in just his second season in the position for the team. Lambert took the the team to a first round exit last season, and started this season horrendously. New York is makin' it clear they value winning, and refuse to wait for it not to happen. They have hired legendary goalie and former head coach of the Avalanche, Patrick Roy, as Lambert's replacement behind the bench. Can he be the change to save the Islanders season... or is it too late?
Islanders had lost six of their last seven games coached by Lambert and have started the new year in ugly fashion with a 3-6-2 record. The season has gone off the rails and has been extremely ugly at times. They have faced a seven game losing skid; have the 4th worst points differential among the Eastern Conference (-21); and have seen their once promising young goalie get absolutely massacred this season in the net. Is it too late to change things around? Not too late, but it sure won't be easy. Islanders currently sit tenth in the East; just two spots out of the last playoff spot as they are right in the 6-12 pack. They still have plenty of life as we still sit in January, but I think they waited a bit long on firing Lambert. He was past losing the locker-room. Shouldn't say long, but he lasted a week or two longer then he should have, cha heard.
In three years of being a NHL head coach, Roy had one great season to his two bad seasons. The great resulting in a Jack Adams award (Coach OTY) in 2013-14. Roy takes on a tough task as he is asked to save the Islanders' season to get them back to the playoffs- where anything can happen. The team is already playing well under his lead as they are 1-1 since the takeover with an overtime dub over the Stars and just a 2-3 loss to the Golden Knights. Both high comp'. If they want to turn the ship around; then they must go through deep waters. Islanders have a strong slate of comp' on the schedule to close out the opening month of 2024. Roy's first priority is the goaltending... how fitting.
Ilya Sorokin has been awful this season, especially of late. I won't be kind; he has been that bad and a reason for the Islanders' losing. For whatever reason, Sorokin has started 15 straight games for the Islanders going a lackluster 5-8-2. He has been brutally bad in January givin' up 34 goals in 11 games. If someone can help him out of this slump, maybe it's Patrick Roy. Needs be a priority, but why are the Islanders over using him, especially when he is slumping? Backup tendy Semyon Varlamov has been pretty solid in his limited time in the net this season. New York needs to mix him in more, not only to help Sorokin, but to see what Varlamov really has. They need all they can get right now. I think givin' Varlamov more ice time is a good start.
I am excited to see Patrick Roy take another crack at being a head coach. I think he could be a good leader for this Islanders team that has some solid pieces and potential. He hasn't coached since 2016, so it will take some time to adjust to the time lapse. The game always changes in some sort of way through time. Gettin' rid of Lambert was the right move. This team needs positive change. As the Oilers did; and as the Wild did. Lets see if this change for the Islanders will pay dividends. Lets see if they can turn around their season.
We now have separation from the powers atop the league and the rest of the pack. Eight teams have eclipsed the 60-club in total points as we near February, but only four teams are starting to claim their own tier atop the highest echelon. Avalanche have a hand in, trying to join the ranks forsho, but I would say the Canucks, Bruins, and Jets currently sit in their own tier among the rest. Of those three powers... which power will be the strongest going into the All-Star break?
Jets and Bruins have been damn good. Winnipeg being the biggest surprise of them all, especially when you consider their best player has been on the shelf in Kyle Connor. None have been quite as consistently dominant as the Canucks, however. Vancouver has the best record in Chel and their league high point differential of +59 is 18 points higher than the 2nd-ranked Jets (+41). Canucks are hands down my top power going into the All-Star game. They will prove their legitimacy in February and March when they face the other high powers who are knocking on their back door.
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