Wednesday 4 January 2017 09:09, UK
The Columbus Blue Jackets are one win from equalling the longest streak in NHL history after beating the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 on Tuesday.
Victory at the Nationwide Arena was their 16th in a row and the Blue Jackets will have the chance to equal a mark set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins when they face the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
Cam Atkinson sent them on their way to victory in the first period with his 18th goal of the season but they were pegged back five minutes into the second by a goal from Edmonton defenceman Oscar Klefbom.
Parity lasted for only five minutes with William Karlsson restoring the Blue Jackets' lead and Nick Foligno added an insurance goal early in the third in front of a sellout crowd.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves for his 14th straight victory and that also puts the Russian in second place in the all-time list, three behind Gilles Gilbert who won 17 straight decisions for the 1975-76 Boston Bruins.
"I'm proud of the team. They deserve it," Columbus coach John Tortorella said.
"I'm really happy how they've handled the past three games with all the talk and all that. It's a good test for them.
"I just want us to keep our head down and I just want us to play. You know what we are? We're a group of businessmen as far as I'm concerned.
"That's where I think they have really grasped, is they have accepted the thought of coming to work every day and learning about that day, playing that game and worrying about that game, not worrying about what happened, not worrying about what's ahead of us."
