Description
The 1987¨C88 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 9th season in the NHL, and they were coming off a Stanley Cup championship against the Philadelphia Flyers the previous season, which was their 3rd Stanley Cup in the past 4 seasons. This was the first time since 1980¨C81 that the Oilers did not win the division, break the 100 point barrier, or lead the NHL in goals. Wayne Gretzky would lead the team with 149 points (sitting out 16 games with a knee injury), his lowest point total since his rookie season in 1979¨C80, and the first time since then that he failed to lead the NHL in scoring. Jari Kurri and Craig Simpson, who the Oilers acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins during the season, would lead the team in goals with 43, and Mark Messier would set a career high with 111 points. With Paul Coffey being traded during the season to the Penguins, Steve Smith would step up and lead Oilers defense with 55 points, and have a team record 286 penalty minutes. In goal, Grant Fuhr would appear in 75 of the 80 Oilers games, winning a career high 40 games and getting 4 shutouts, while posting a 3.43 GAA and becoming the first Oilers goalie to win the Vezina Trophy. In the playoffs, the Oilers would start off by defeating the Winnipeg Jets in 5 games, and face their Battle of Alberta rivals, the Calgary Flames in the Smythe Division finals. The Flames ended the Oilers streak of 6 straight division titles by finishing 6 points ahead of Edmonton during the season, however the Oilers would quickly sweep Calgary to advance to the Campbell Conference finals, against the Detroit Red Wings. Edmonton would have no problems getting past Detroit, winning the series in 5 games, and face the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers would continue to dominate, sweeping Boston despite having to play 5 games (game 4 was canceled midway through the 3rd period with the score tied at 3 due to a power failure at the Boston Garden) to win their 4th Stanley Cup in 5 years. Grant Fuhr would set an NHL record by winning 16 playoff games, while Wayne Gretzky took home the Conn Smythe Trophy after earning a league high 43 points.