The Edmonton Oilers are one win away from tying the record for the longest winning streak in NHL history.
Standing in Edmonton's way are the Vegas Golden Knights, the reigning Stanley Cup champions, who are putting together a commendable season of their own.
The puck drops between the two teams on Tuesday night in Vegas, and either the Oilers will tie the record or the Golden Knights will end their impressive win streak.
It's the first game out of the all-star break for both teams, and it's easy to argue the break came at a terrible time for the streaking Oilers.
Can the Oilers Pick Up Where They Left Off?
There's no bigger test for a team coming off of a long lay-off than being asked to do something that has only been done once before in NHL history.
When we last saw the Oilers, they were continuing to show off their new found blend of their well-established goal scoring prowess and an ability to get big saves while limiting the other teams' quality chances.
Franchise center Connor McDavid had an excellent showing at all-star weekend, as he took home the million dollar prize as the winner of the skills competition.
McDavid has been his typical self during this winning streak, but three, four, or five point nights that have become typical of him have not been needed to win these games. If McDavid can find that gear, the Oilers have a whole other level of play they can still reach.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner's performance may be the biggest single make-or-break aspect of Edmonton's game on Tuesday. If Skinner can maintain the form he had rolling over the past two months, the Oilers are nearly impossible to beat.
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Where do the Golden Knights Stand?
Vegas will continue to be without its top center, as McDavid's 2015 draft counterpart Jack Eichel remains week-to-week after having surgery to resolve a lower-body injury.
The Golden Knights could be getting their other top six center back as William Karlsson could return for this one. The breakout star of the 2018 season could be a big boost to the forward corps.
Vegas currently boasts a record of 29-15-6, having gone into the all-star break on a 10-game 6-3-1 run.
The thing that stands out about this Golden Knights squad has been their rock solid ability to defend home ice. Only two teams have fewer than Vegas' five regulation home losses, and the team's record on the strip is a sterling 18-5-2.
If Edmonton is going to make history Tuesday, it's going to have to do so in one of the league's most difficult places to play.
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