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87-88EdmOil
1987–88 Edmonton Oilers
Division 2nd Smythe
Conference 2nd Campbell
1987–88 record 44–25–11
Home record 28–8–4
Road record 16–17–7
Goals for 363 (2nd)
Goals against 288 (8th)
Team information
General manager Glen Sather
Coach Glen Sather
Captain Wayne Gretzky
Alternate captains Kevin Lowe
Mark Messier
Arena Northlands Coliseum
Average attendance 17,503 (100%)
Team leaders
Goals Craig Simpson
Jari Kurri (43)
Assists Wayne Gretzky (109)
Points Wayne Gretzky (149)
Penalty minutes Steve Smith (286)
Plus/minus Steve Smith (+40)
Wins Grant Fuhr (40)
Goals against average Grant Fuhr (3.43)

The 1987–88 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 1980–81 that the Oilers did not win the division, break the 100 point barrier, or lead the NHL in goals.

Regular Season[]

Wayne Gretzky would lead the team with 149 points, his lowest point total since his rookie season in 1979–80, 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 before the season began 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 him the Conn Smythe Trophy after earning a league high 43 points.

Final Standings[]

Smythe Division
  GP W L T GF GA PTS
Calgary Flames 80 48 23 9 397 305 105
Edmonton Oilers 80 44 25 11 363 288 99
Winnipeg Jets 80 33 36 11 292 310 77
Los Angeles Kings 80 30 42 8 318 359 68
Vancouver Canucks 80 25 46 9 272 320 59

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


Game Log[]

# Date Visitor Score Home Record Pts
1 October 9 Detroit Red Wings 4–1 Edmonton Oilers 0–1–0 0
2 October 11 Edmonton Oilers 9–2 Los Angeles Kings 1–1–0 2
3 October 14 Calgary Flames 5–4 Edmonton Oilers 1–2–0 2
4 October 16 Edmonton Oilers 5–2 Calgary Flames 2–2–0 4
5 October 17 Boston Bruins 3–4 Edmonton Oilers 3–2–0 6
6 October 21 Los Angeles Kings 2–6 Edmonton Oilers 4–2–0 8
7 October 23 Edmonton Oilers 5–4 Vancouver Canucks 5–2–0 10
8 October 24 Vancouver Canucks 5–9 Edmonton Oilers 6–2–0 12
9 October 27 Edmonton Oilers 0–5 Quebec Nordiques 6–3–0 12
10 October 28 Edmonton Oilers 1–3 Montreal Canadiens 6–4–0 12
11 October 31 Edmonton Oilers 5–6 New Jersey Devils 6–5–0 12
12 November 1 Edmonton Oilers 7–6 New York Rangers 7–5–0 14
13 November 4 New York Rangers 2–7 Edmonton Oilers 8–5–0 16
14 November 5 Edmonton Oilers 4–4 Calgary Flames 8–5–1 17
15 November 7 Buffalo Sabres 0–5 Edmonton Oilers 9–5–1 19
16 November 10 Edmonton Oilers 4–4 Los Angeles Kings 9–5–2 20
17 November 14 Edmonton Oilers 6–5 St. Louis Blues 10–5–2 22
18 November 15 Edmonton Oilers 4–5 Chicago Blackhawks 10–6–2 22
19 November 18 Quebec Nordiques 1–4 Edmonton Oilers 11–6–2 24
20 November 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Edmonton Oilers 12–6–2 26
21 November 22 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 Winnipeg Jets 12–7–2 26
22 November 25 New Jersey Devils 8–7 Edmonton Oilers 12–8–2 26
23 November 27 Chicago Blackhawks 3–4 Edmonton Oilers 13–8–2 28
24 November 29 Edmonton Oilers 5–2 Buffalo Sabres 14–8–2 30
25 December 1 Edmonton Oilers 2–4 Washington Capitals 14–9–2 30
26 December 2 Edmonton Oilers 4–7 Detroit Red Wings 14–10–2 30
27 December 5 Toronto Maple Leafs 2–5 Edmonton Oilers 15–10–2 32
28 December 6 Minnesota North Stars 4–10 Edmonton Oilers 16–10–2 34
29 December 9 Winnipeg Jets 0–2 Edmonton Oilers 17–10–2 36
30 December 11 Vancouver Canucks 1–2 Edmonton Oilers 18–10–2 38
31 December 12 Edmonton Oilers 6–3 Vancouver Canucks 19–10–2 40
32 December 16 Edmonton Oilers 5–7 Los Angeles Kings 19–11–2 40
33 December 18 Winnipeg Jets 5–5 Edmonton Oilers 19–11–3 41
34 December 19 Hartford Whalers 4–3 Edmonton Oilers 19–12–3 41
35 December 22 Los Angeles Kings 2–5 Edmonton Oilers 20–12–3 43
36 December 26 Edmonton Oilers 5–4 Calgary Flames 21–12–3 45
37 December 28 Vancouver Canucks 3–7 Edmonton Oilers 22–12–3 47
38 December 30 Philadelphia Flyers 0–6 Edmonton Oilers 23–12–3 49
39 January 2 Edmonton Oilers 0–2 Washington Capitals 23–13–3 49
40 January 4 Edmonton Oilers 2–2 Boston Bruins 23–13–4 50
41 January 6 Edmonton Oilers 5–1 Hartford Whalers 24–13–4 52
42 January 8 Edmonton Oilers 4–4 Winnipeg Jets 24–13–5 53
43 January 9 New York Islanders 1–5 Edmonton Oilers 25–13–5 55
44 January 11 Washington Capitals 2–3 Edmonton Oilers 26–13–5 57
45 January 13 Calgary Flames 3–5 Edmonton Oilers 27–13–5 59
46 January 15 Winnipeg Jets 4–4 Edmonton Oilers 27–13–6 60
47 January 18 Edmonton Oilers 4–6 Montreal Canadiens 27–14–6 60
48 January 19 Edmonton Oilers 4–4 Quebec Nordiques 27–14–7 61
49 January 21 Edmonton Oilers 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers 27–15–7 61
50 January 23 Edmonton Oilers 2–3 New York Islanders 27–16–7 61
51 January 25 Edmonton Oilers 6–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 28–16–7 63
52 January 29 Calgary Flames 5–4 Edmonton Oilers 28–17–7 63
53 January 30 Hartford Whalers 2–5 Edmonton Oilers 29–17–7 65
54 February 3 New Jersey Devils 5–8 Edmonton Oilers 30–17–7 67
55 February 6 Edmonton Oilers 2–7 Los Angeles Kings 30–18–7 67
56 February 11 Edmonton Oilers 7–2 Vancouver Canucks 31–18–7 69
57 February 12 Boston Bruins 7–4 Edmonton Oilers 31–19–7 69
58 February 14 Vancouver Canucks 6–7 Edmonton Oilers 32–19–7 71
59 February 17 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–4 Edmonton Oilers 32–19–8 72
60 February 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 Edmonton Oilers 33–19–8 74
61 February 21 Edmonton Oilers 4–3 Winnipeg Jets 34–19–8 76
62 February 23 Edmonton Oilers 6–4 St. Louis Blues 35–19–8 78
63 February 24 Edmonton Oilers 4–6 Chicago Blackhawks 35–20–8 78
64 February 28 Calgary Flames 3–2 Edmonton Oilers 35–21–8 78
65 March 1 Los Angeles Kings 3–5 Edmonton Oilers 36–21–8 80
66 March 4 Philadelphia Flyers 4–7 Edmonton Oilers 37–21–8 82
67 March 5 Edmonton Oilers 4–7 Calgary Flames 37–22–8 82
68 March 7 Edmonton Oilers 6–0 Winnipeg Jets 38–22–8 84
69 March 9 Montreal Canadiens 4–1 Edmonton Oilers 38–23–8 84
70 March 12 Edmonton Oilers 4–4 Vancouver Canucks 38–23–9 85
71 March 15 Buffalo Sabres 4–6 Edmonton Oilers 39–23–9 87
72 March 18 Winnipeg Jets 1–4 Edmonton Oilers 40–23–9 89
73 March 20 Edmonton Oilers 5–5 Minnesota North Stars 40–23–10 90
74 March 22 Edmonton Oilers 6–4 Detroit Red Wings 41–23–10 92
75 March 24 Edmonton Oilers 1–6 New York Rangers 41–24–10 92
76 March 26 Edmonton Oilers 4–5 New York Islanders 41–25–10 92
77 March 28 Edmonton Oilers 6–4 Toronto Maple Leafs 42–25–10 94
78 March 30 Minnesota North Stars 3–6 Edmonton Oilers 43–25–10 96
79 April 1 St. Louis Blues 2–5 Edmonton Oilers 44–25–10 98
80 April 3 Los Angeles Kings 5–5 Edmonton Oilers 44–25–11 99

Playoffs[]

Edmonton Oilers 4, Winnipeg Jets 1[]

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 6 Winnipeg Jets 4–7 Edmonton Oilers 1–0
2 April 7 Winnipeg Jets 2–3 Edmonton Oilers 2–0
3 April 9 Edmonton Oilers 4–6 Winnipeg Jets 2–1
4 April 10 Edmonton Oilers 5–3 Winnipeg Jets 3–1
5 April 12 Winnipeg Jets 2–6 Edmonton Oilers 4–1

Edmonton Oilers 4, Calgary Flames 0[]

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 April 19 Edmonton Oilers 3–1 Calgary Flames 1–0
2 April 21 Edmonton Oilers 5–4 Calgary Flames 2–0
3 April 23 Calgary Flames 2–4 Edmonton Oilers 3–0
4 April 25 Calgary Flames 4–6 Edmonton Oilers 4–0

Edmonton Oilers 4, Detroit Red Wings 1[]

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 May 3 Detroit Red Wings 1–4 Edmonton Oilers 1–0
2 May 5 Detroit Red Wings 3–5 Edmonton Oilers 2–0
3 May 7 Edmonton Oilers 5–2 Detroit Red Wings 2–1
4 May 9 Edmonton Oilers 4–3 Detroit Red Wings 3–1
5 May 11 Detroit Red Wings 4–8 Edmonton Oilers 4–1

Edmonton Oilers 4, Boston Bruins 0[]

# Date Visitor Score Home Record
1 May 18 Boston Bruins 1–2 Edmonton Oilers 1–0
2 May 20 Boston Bruins 2–4 Edmonton Oilers 2–0
3 May 22 Edmonton Oilers 6–3 Boston Bruins 3–0
4 May 24 Edmonton Oilers 3–3 Boston Bruins 3–0–1
5 May 26 Boston Bruins 3–6 Edmonton Oilers 4–0–1

Season Stats[]

Scoring Leaders[]

Player GP G A Pts PIM
Wayne Gretzky 64 40 109 149 24
Mark Messier 77 37 74 111 103
Jari Kurri 80 43 53 96 30
Glenn Anderson 80 38 50 88 58
Esa Tikkanen 80 23 51 74 153

Goaltending[]

Player GP TOI W L T GA SO Save % GAA
Bill Ranford 6 325 3 0 2 16 0 .899 2.95
Grant Fuhr 75 4304 40 24 9 246 4 .881 3.43
Daryl Reaugh 6 176 1 1 0 14 0 .877 4.77
Warren Skorodenski 3 61 0 0 0 7 0 .720 6.89

Playoff Stats[]

Scoring Leaders[]

Player GP G A Pts PIM
Wayne Gretzky 19 12 31 43 16
Mark Messier 19 11 23 34 29
Jari Kurri 19 14 17 31 12
Esa Tikkanen 19 10 17 27 72
Glenn Anderson 19 9 16 25 49

Goaltending[]

Player GP TOI W L GA SO Save % GAA
Grant Fuhr 19 1136 16 2 55 0 .883 2.90

Transactions[]

Trades[]

October 19, 1987 To Montreal Canadiens
Cash
To Edmonton Oilers
Dave Donnelly
November 24, 1987 To Pittsburgh Penguins
Paul Coffey
Dave Hunter
Wayne Van Dorp
To Edmonton Oilers
Moe Mantha
Dave Hannan
Craig Simpson
Chris Joseph
January 22, 1988 To Minnesota North Stars
Moe Mantha
To Edmonton Oilers
Keith Acton
February 11, 1988 To Buffalo Sabres
Scott Metcalfe
9th round pick in 1989 - Donald Audette
To Edmonton Oilers
Steve Dykstra
7th round pick in 1989 - Davis Payne
March 8, 1988 To Boston Bruins
Andy Moog
Moe Lemay
To Edmonton Oilers
Bill Ranford
Geoff Courtnall
Alan May
2nd round pick in 1988 - Petro Koivunen

Free Agents[]

Player Former Team
F Gary Emmons New York Rangers
G Warren Skorodenski Chicago Blackhawks
Player New Team
F Murray Eaves Detroit Red Wings
F Don Biggs Philadelphia Flyers
D Jim Playfair Chicago Blackhawks

Draft Picks[]

Edmonton's draft picks at the 1987 NHL Entry Draft

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 21 Peter Soberlak Flag of Canada Canada Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
2 42 Brad Werenka Flag of Canada Canada Northern Michigan University (NCAA
3 63 Geoff Smith Flag of Canada Canada St. Albert Saints (AJHL)
4 64 Peter Eriksson Flag of Sweden Sweden HV71 Jonkoping (SEL)
5 105 Shaun Van Allen Flag of Canada Canada Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
6 126 Radek Toupal Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia HC Ceske Budejovice (Czech.)
7 147 Tomas Srsen Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Brno ZKL (Czech.)
8 168 Åge Ellingsen Flag of Norway Norway Storhamar (Norway)
9 189 Gavin Armstrong Flag of Canada Canada RPI (NCAA)
10 210 Mike Tinkham Flag of the United States United States Newburyport High School (USHS)
11 231 Jeff Pauletti Flag of Canada Canada University of Minnesota (NCAA)
12 241 Jesper Duus Flag of Denmark Denmark Rødovre (Denmark)
12 252 Igor Vyazmikin Flag of Soviet Union Soviet Union HC CSKA Moscow (Russia)

References[]


This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at 1987–88 Edmonton Oilers season. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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