Longest winning streaks by NHL franchises

The Columbus Blue Jackets fell one win short of tying the NHL record of 17 consecutive victories when they lost 5-0 at the Washington Capitals on Thursday. The record was set by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992-93.
Despite the loss, the Blue Jackets lead the NHL in wins (27) and points (58). They'll try to start a new streak Saturday when they host the New York Rangers.

Here's a look at the longest winning streak for each of the NHL's 30 teams.

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Pittsburgh Penguins: 17 (NHL record)

(March 9 - April 10, 1993)
The Penguins, who had won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992, were even better during the 1992-93 season. They won 17 in a row before ending their season with a 6-6 tie against the New Jersey Devils. The Penguins had four 100-point scorers: Mario Lemieux (160), Kevin Stevens (111), Rick Tocchet (109) and Ron Francis (100), as well as 21-year-old Jaromir Jagr (94), but were upset by the New York Islanders in the Patrick Division Final. The 2012-13 Penguins came close to matching the streak, winning 15 in a row.

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Columbus Blue Jackets: 16

(Nov. 29, 2016 - Jan. 3, 2017)
The longest winning streak in Blue Jackets history? You just witnessed it. They began by winning their final game in November and were perfect until the loss at Washington on Thursday. Columbus went 14-0-0 in December, completing the perfect month by ending the Minnesota Wild's 12-game winning streak. Before Thursday, the Blue Jackets hadn't lost since Nov. 26, when they were defeated 2-1 in a shootout by the Florida Panthers.

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New York Islanders: 15

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 20, 1982)
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions averaged more than six goals a game, though they needed a last-minute goal by John Tonelli against the Colorado Rockies for win No. 15, which set an NHL record at the time. The Islanders beat the Penguins four times during the streak but lost in Pittsburgh to end it.

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Boston Bruins: 14

(Dec. 3, 1929 - Jan. 9, 1930)
With a roster that included six members of the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Bruins won five of their first seven games before breaking away from the pack. The streak began with a 3-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Boston Garden; the 3-2 loss to the New York Americans that ended it was one of just five for the Bruins during the 44-game season. Boston finished 38-5-1 but lost to the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Final.

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Washington Capitals: 14

(Jan. 13 - Feb. 7, 2010)
A 5-4 shootout victory against the Panthers started a run that helped Washington finish first in the Southeast Division. The final win of the streak (5-4 against the Penguins) and the loss that ended it (6-5 to the Canadiens) came in overtime.

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Philadelphia Flyers: 13

(Oct. 19 - Nov. 17, 1985)
Mike Keenan's Flyers allowed the fewest goals in the NHL during the 1985-86 season, but it was Philadelphia's offense that keyed the winning streak. The Flyers scored fewer than five goals in a game just once in the 13 games, a 3-0 win against the Hartford Whalers. Offense wasn't the problem in the loss that ended the streak; Philadelphia was beaten 8-6 by the Islanders.

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New Jersey Devils: 13

(Feb. 26 - March 23, 2001)
The Devils got hot at the right time. Their late-season winning streak included a sweep of a five-game road trip in mid-March. From the beginning of the streak to the end of the regular season, the Devils went 19-2-0. New Jersey finished with 111 points, the most in the Eastern Conference, but lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final.

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Montreal Canadiens: 12

(Jan. 6 - Feb. 3, 1968)
The 1967-68 Canadiens were 15-14-9 before they began their streak by defeating the New York Rangers 5-2 at the Forum. By the time streak ended with a 3-0 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, the Canadiens were on their way to a first-place finish and a Stanley Cup championship.

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Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche: 12

(Jan 10-Feb. 7, 1999)
The Avalanche began the streak with a 3-2 overtime victory against the Chicago Blackhawks, then won their next 11 games in regulation. Colorado's power play was especially effective during the streak, scoring 13 times in 12 games. The streak powered the Avalanche to the Northwest Division title.

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Florida Panthers: 12

(Dec. 15, 2015 - Jan. 10, 2016)
Jagr was also involved in Florida's longest winning streak, scoring six times in 12 games at age 43. This streak also became famous for the "Spacey in Space" hoodie, featuring actor Kevin Spacey. The Panthers went from 14-12-4 to 26-12-4, helping them go from sixth place in mid-December to a first-place finish in the Atlantic Division.

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Chicago Blackhawks: 12

(Dec. 29, 2015 - Jan. 19, 2016)
One of the big keys to the Blackhawks' winning streak was rest. During the run, coach Joel Quenneville held one practice in January in order to keep his players fresh. Goalie Corey Crawford had one of his NHL career-high seven shutouts and a .946 save percentage during the streak. Chicago outscored its opponents 47-22, and Patrick Kane had 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) during the 12 games.

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Minnesota Wild: 12

(Dec. 4-29, 2016)
Minnesota outscored the opposition 40-22 during its winning streak. It ended with a 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on New Year's Eve, which happened to be Columbus' 15th consecutive victory on the way to its record 16-game streak. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk was 10-0-0 with 17 goals allowed during the run.

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San Jose Sharks: 11

(Feb. 21 - March 14, 2008)
The Sharks lost five in a row, four by one goal, before 11 straight wins. Six of the victories were one-goal games, including one that went into overtime and two that had to go to a shootout. Eight of the 11 wins came on the road.

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Ottawa Senators: 11

(Jan. 14 - Feb. 4, 2010)
The Senators began their run one day after goaltending coach Eli Wilson was fired. Pascal Leclaire and Brian Elliott had struggled before the change but combined to allow 13 goals in Ottawa's next 11 games. Daniel Alfredsson, who had his number retired by the Senators on Dec. 29, led the offense with seven goals and 16 points.

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Anaheim Ducks: 11

(Feb. 13-March 5, 2016)
Not only did the Ducks have their longest winning streak ever, they scored at least one power-play goal in each of the 11 wins. The Ducks were last in the Pacific Division at the Christmas break, but the 11-game streak helped them overtake the field and finish first.

New York Rangers: 10

(Dec. 19, 1939 - Jan. 13, 1940; Jan. 19 - Feb. 10, 1973)
Led by top scorers Bryan Hextall and Neil Colville, the 1939-40 Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup, something they wouldn't do again until 1994. The 1972-73 team featured Hockey Hall of Famers Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, Brad Park and Ed Giacomin. The Rangers bookended their streak with 6-0 wins; it ended with a 2-2 tie against the Canadiens.

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Atlanta/Calgary Flames: 10

(Oct. 14-Nov. 3, 1978)
The winning streak came when the franchise was still based in Atlanta. Seven of the 10 wins were by three or more goals, and the Flames averaged 5.5 goals per game during the streak. Despite their early-season success, the Flames finished fourth in the Patrick Division and were swept by the Toronto Maple Leafs in their Preliminary Round playoff series.

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Buffalo Sabres: 10

(Jan. 4-23, 1984; Oct. 4-26, 2006)
The Sabres began 2006-07 with 10 consecutive victories, matching the NHL record set by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1993-94, before a shootout loss to the Atlanta Thrashers. Buffalo made a second straight appearance in the Eastern Conference Final. The earlier 10-game streak started with a 9-4 victory against the Winnipeg Jets and included victories against 10 different teams.

Toronto Maple Leafs: 10

(October 7-28, 1993)
The Maple Leafs set an NHL record by winning their first 10 games. The streak began with a 6-3 victory against the Dallas Stars on opening night and didn't end until Halloween, when the Maple Leafs lost 5-2 at Montreal. The fast start helped Toronto finish second in the Central Division and reach the Western Conference Final.

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St. Louis Blues: 10

(Jan. 3-23, 2002)
St. Louis outscored opponents 42-21 during the streak, which included back-to-back overtime wins against the Boston Bruins. Chicago ended the streak with a 2-1 win on Jan. 25, 2002, and the Blues went 3-10-2 in their next 15 games.

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Vancouver Canucks: 10

(Nov. 9-30, 2002)
Four of Vancouver's wins during the streak were by three or more goals. Goaltender Dan Cloutier earned nine of the 10 victories, though he was assessed 12 penalty minutes in a 6-3 victory against the Blues after an altercation with St. Louis forward Scott Mellanby.

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Detroit Red Wings: 9

(March 3-21, 1951; Feb. 27-March 20, 1955; Dec. 12-31, 1995; March 3-22, 1996; Oct. 13-Nov. 1, 2005; Oct. 25-Nov. 14, 2006; Oct. 18-Nov. 9, 2007)
The Red Wings are the only Original Six team that has never had a double-digit winning streak, but they've won nine games in a row seven times, including three consecutive seasons in the mid-2000s. Detroit won the Stanley Cup in two of the seven seasons, 1954-55 and 2007-08.

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Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes: 9

(March 8-27, 1985; March 4-21, 2010)
The Winnipeg Jets, powered by Hall of Fame center Dale Hawerchuk's career-high 130 points, won nine in a row late in the 1984-85 season. The Jets moved to Arizona in 1996, and their nine-game winning streak late in the 2009-10 season helped them make the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

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Edmonton Oilers: 9

(Feb. 20 - March 13, 2001)
Even during their glory years in the 1980s, the Oilers never won as many games in a row as they did late in the 2000-01 season. Goalie Tommy Salo had seven of the nine wins during the streak, including three shutouts; he finished with 36 wins, his highest NHL total.

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Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes: 9

(Oct. 22 - Nov. 11, 2005; Dec. 31, 2005 - Jan. 19, 2006; March 18 - April 7, 2009)
The Hurricanes had two of their three nine-game streaks during the 2005-06 season when they went on to win the Stanley Cup for the first time. They also closed out the 2008-09 season by winning their last nine regular-season games, then advanced to the Eastern Conference Final.

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Los Angeles Kings: 9

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 6, 2010)
The Kings streak included a sweep of their five-game Eastern Conference road trip. Six of the nine victories were by one goal, including two shootouts. Goaltender Jonathan Quick won all nine games, allowing 21 goals.

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Tampa Bay Lightning: 9

(Feb. 18 - March 5, 2016)
The nine-game streak began a month after the Lightning won seven in a row. After the first game of the winning streak, in which the Lightning gave up a three-goal lead to the Jets before winning 6-5 in a shootout, the players held a closed-door meeting to refocus, and it worked. They finished second in the Atlantic Division and got to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.

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Nashville Predators: 8

(Oct. 5-25, 2005)
You can't have a much better start to a season than setting a franchise record for consecutive wins, and that's exactly what the Predators did at the beginning of 2005-06. The Predators got a chance to extend the streak when forward Adam Hall scored the tying goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets with 20 seconds left in the third period, but defenseman Adam Foote scored 36 seconds into overtime. Three of Nashville's eight wins came in the shootout.

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Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars: 7

(March 16-28, 1980; March 16-April 2, 1997; Nov. 22-Dec. 5, 1997; Jan. 29-Feb. 11, 2008)
The Stars seven-game streak in 2007-08 came after Dallas won six in a row in November and eight of nine games from Dec. 10-29.

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Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets: 6

(March 6-16, 2009; Nov. 19-30, 2010)
The Penguins ended each of the two longest winning streaks in franchise history. The Thrashers won six in a row twice in their final three seasons in Atlanta before moving to Winnipeg in 2011.