What to watch as Oilers look to tie NHL win streak record vs. Knights
The NHL returns from All-Star Weekend with the Edmonton Oilers looking to make history Tuesday night. Edmonton can tie the NHL record for most wins in a row with a victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas. The game will be exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu at 10 p.m. ET.
The Colorado Avalanche will also be on ESPN+/Hulu on Tuesday, hosting the New Jersey Devils at 8 p.m. ET.
The Knights are currently second in the Pacific Division (64 points), with the Oilers (59 points) in third just five points behind despite having played five less games. Edmonton hasn’t lost a game since Dec. 19 and has improved its record from 13-15-1 to 29-15-1 over that span.
Can the Oilers extend their streak and put themselves in the NHL record books? Here are some key things to watch with intel courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information:
Edmonton
Oilers vs.
Vegas
Golden Knights
Tuesday, 10 p.m. ET | ESPN+/Hulu
T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)
Oilers
1:31
Connor McDavid on Oilers’ 16-game win streak: It came out of desperation
Connor McDavid joined “The Point” to discuss the Oilers’ winning streak and their push to make the playoffs.
Power Rankings position: 7
Leading scorer: Connor McDavid: 20 G | 47 A
Record: 29-15-1 (59 points)
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Early coaching change: The Oilers began the season by losing 8-1 in their opener against the Canucks in Vancouver. They would go on to start 3-9-1 before firing coach Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12. Kris Knoblauch was named Woodcroft’s replacement and has guided Edmonton to an NHL-best 26-6-0 record since his first game on Nov. 13.
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The Oilers have averaged more than a goal more per game under Knoblauch (3.91 vs. 2.69) and are giving up more than 1.6 goals less (2.28 vs. 3.92).
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Elite goaltending and defense: Since the 16-game win streak began Dec. 21, Edmonton’s goaltender duo of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have allowed a combined 1.50 goals per games. Skinner has a 1.41 GAA and a .950 save percentage in 12 games and Pickard has 1.74 GAA and a .931 save percentage in his four wins. Skinner’s 12 consecutive wins are the most by an Oilers goaltender in a season in franchise history, surpassing the previous record of 10 straight by Grant Fuhr in 1985-86.
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The line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman has been thriving since Knoblauch’s hire, scoring 26 goals together during their time on the ice during that span. That’s the most of any forward grouping in the NHL during Knoblauch’s tenure.
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McDavid has been especially stellar since Knoblauch took over, posting 57 points over that span, including 26 during the current win streak. McDavid recorded his 20th goal Saturday to giving him his eighth consecutive 20-goal season, joining Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and Auston Matthews as the only players who’ve had eight straight since 2016-17.
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Hyman leads the Oilers with 30 goals this season. On Saturday, he became the third Oilers skater in the past 30 seasons with 30-plus goals in team’s first 45 games of a season, joining his teammates McDavid and Draisaitl. Hyman is on pace for 55 goals this season, which would shatter his career high of 36 last season. If he gets to 50, Hyman would become the seventh player in Oilers history to hit the mark, joining Wayne Gretzky (8 times), Jari Kurri (4), Draisaitl (3), Glenn Anderson (2), Mark Messier (1) and McDavid (1).
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According to NHL Edge, Evan Bouchard has 71 shot attempts of at least 90 mph this season, 24 more than the next-closest player (Victor Hedman). Of Bouchard’s 11 goals this season, eight have come from long-range shots, the most in the NHL. His 10.4% shooting percentage on long-range shots is second among defensemen (Drew Doughty, 12.7%) and eighth among all skaters. He has already matched his career high with 43 points this season, averaging 0.96 points per game. The last Oilers defenseman to average a point per game for a season was Paul Coffey (1.14 in 1986-87).
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The Oilers’ recent run has them as the betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup, according to odds by ESPN BET. The Oilers are +750, followed by the Bruins and Avalanche at +800. According to Stathletes, the Oilers have a 14.1% chance to win the Stanley Cup, ahead of the Panthers at 13.7%. No Canadian franchise has won the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens in 1993.
Knights
Power Rankings position: 9
Leading scorer: Mark Stone: 15 G | 34 A
Record: 29-15-6 (64 points)
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Vegas has 18 wins at T-Mobile Arena, tied with the Canucks for the second-most home wins behind the Avalanche with 20. The Golden Knights have a .760 points percentage at home this season, fourth in the league. Since the Golden Knights joined the NHL in 2017-18, they have the fourth-most home wins (161) and the seventh-highest points percentage (.673). The only Western Conference team better than Vegas in both categories is the Avalanche (163, .704).
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Vegas has scored first in 28 games this season, tied for third in the NHL behind the Canucks (33) and Bruins (30). The Knights have scored first in 56% of their games, the eighth-highest rate in the league.
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Jonathan Marchessault is on pace for 37 goals, which would be a career high and the second most in a season in Golden Knights history behind William Karlsson‘s 43 in 2017-18 (no Vegas player besides Karlsson has scored more than 33 goals in a season). Marchessault has scored 10 goals off the rush this season, tied for fourth most in the NHL. The only players in front of Marchessault are Travis Konecny (12), Joel Farabee (11) and William Nylander (11).
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Mark Stone has a team-leading 49 points this season (15 G, 34 A), playing all 50 games. His next point will mark his eighth 50-point season, but his first since 2020-21, when he had 61.
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Alex Pietrangelo leads the Golden Knights in time on ice per game at 24:00. This season, he’s one of three players to average at least 18 minutes at even strength, 2 minutes of power play time and 3 minutes of shorthanded time, alongside Cam Fowler and Devon Toews.
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Adin Hill leads the NHL in GAA (1.94) and save percentage (.936).
Knight’s Choice has won the 2024 Melbourne Cup, defeating Warp Speed and Okita Soushi in a thrilling finish at Flemington on Tuesday afternoon.
The massive outsider saluted for Irish-born jockey Robbie Dolan, who claimed victory in what was his first ever ride in the “race that stops a nation”.
In what was a gripping 164th staging of Australia’s most-watched thoroughbred race, Knight’s Choice proved too strong in a sprint to the finish, pulling over the top of Okita Soushi and holding off Warp Speed by the barest of margins.
Trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon on the Sunshine Coast, Knight’s Choice was well down the betting across all markets. It was Laxon’s second Melbourne Cup triumph after she trained Ethereal to victory 23 years ago.
“This is the pinnacle of all pinnacles, this is the Melbourne Cup,” Symons said.
Zardozi rounded out the first four.
As the field approached the final few hundred metres it appeared as though Jamie Kah, aboard Okita Soushi, would become just the second woman to ride the winner in the Melbourne Cup. But Okita Soushi was swallowed up as the winning post neared, with Knight’s Choice beating Warp Speed to the line after a peach of a ride from Dolan.
“We’ll be singing tonight after a few beers,” Dolan, who was a contestant on the 2022 edition of “The Voice”, told Channel 9.
“It is amazing and a lot of people doubted this little horse. Doubt me now.”
Laxon was more than happy with the ride, with Dolan threading his way through the field from near last on the bend.
“He started the race, and he knew how to ride him. We didn’t give him instructions, he knew what to do,” she said.
“I love it being down for the Australians. The Australian horse has done it, and Robbie is Australian now as well, so I’m thrilled to win the Cup, and it is the people’s Cup, and that’s what it is all about.”
Knight’s Choice is just the sixth Australian-bred horse to win since 1993, and the first since Vow and Declare back in 2019.
The five-year-old gelding carried only 51kg to victory and was making its first start over the 3200m trip. It had most recently come off a fifth-placed finish in the Bendigo Cup, but had showed sparing little form this preparation otherwise.
“I watched every Melbourne Cup for the last 40 years. I thought my best chance was to get him to stay the trip and, hopefully, he can run home and do the quick sectionals he can on a good track and he proved everybody wrong,” Dolan said.
MILWAUKEE — The Brewers‘ starting rotation could have a new look next season with right-handers Frankie Montas and Colin Rea heading into free agency.
The Brewers announced Monday that Montas had declined his part of a $20 million mutual option for 2025. The Brewers turned down the $5.5 million club option on Rea’s contract.
Montas receives a $2 million buyout and Rea gets a $1 million buyout.
In other moves Monday, right-hander Kevin Herget was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets, and left-hander Rob Zastryzny was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs. First baseman Jake Bauers and right-hander Bryse Wilson cleared waivers and were sent outright to Triple-A Nashville.
Montas, 31, had a combined 7-11 record with a 4.84 ERA and 148 strikeouts over 150⅔ innings in 30 starts for the Cincinnati Reds and Brewers this season. He was 3-3 with a 4.55 ERA in 11 starts for the Brewers, who acquired him just before the trade deadline.
Rea, 34, was 12-6 with a 4.28 ERA this season in 32 appearances, including 27 starts. He struck out 135 in 167⅔ innings. Rea had an 8.31 ERA in September and was left off the Brewers’ NL Wild Card Series roster.
Herget, 33, had no record with one save and a 1.59 ERA in seven appearances with Milwaukee this year. He was 5-1 with four saves and a 2.27 ERA in 38 relief outings with Triple-A Nashville.
Zastryzny, 32, was 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in nine appearances with Milwaukee. He pitched in 30 games with Nashville and went 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA.
The 29-year-old Bauers batted .199 with a .301 on-base percentage, 12 homers and 43 RBIs in 116 games this season. He also hit a seventh-inning homer that broke a scoreless tie in the decisive Game 3 of the Wild Card Series with the Mets, who rallied in the ninth to win 4-2.
Wilson, who turns 27 on Dec. 20, went 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 34 appearances, including nine starts.
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