The Edmonton Oilers may be on a 15-game winning streak, but head coach Kris Knoblauch believes his men could give more.
Only five teams in National Hockey League history have achieved such a long winning streak, and the Oilers are closer than ever to matching the Pittsburgh Penguins' record of 17 straight wins set in 1992-93.
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However, Knoblauch wants to make sure his troops have both feet on the ground. On Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks, Connor McDavid broke the ice early in the second period and it wasn't until the third period that the Oilers gained a two-goal lead. The captain ended his three-point night with a net in the empty cage.
“We are playing well enough to win at the moment. “I think we still have more to give within our group,” said the pilot at a press conference after the game. As a group of coaches, we always try to push the guys to get better every day. I think we were good enough to win games and that was it.”
Edmonton sits in third place in the Pacific Division, behind the strong Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights. Before Knoblauch was discontinued, the Alberta team was in last place in the standings.
“The way we are keeping up with the teams I think is very exciting to move up the table and give us some breathing room. I think we're trying to take it one game at a time,” he explained.
It's the third time in five games for the Blackhawks that Luke Richardson's team has been left off the scoresheet. The Vancouver Canucks finished them off on Monday and the Buffalo Sabers also neutralized them on January 18th.
Chicago suffered its 19th consecutive road loss after failing to record a win since November 12th.