# 1987–88 Edmonton Oilers season

The 1987–88 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' ninth season in the NHL, and they were coming off a Stanley Cup championship against the Philadelphia Flyers the previous season, which was their third 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.
Wayne Gretzky led the team with 149 points (sitting out 16 games with a knee injury), 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, led the team in goals with 43, and Mark Messier set a career high with 111 points. With Paul Coffey being traded during the season to the Penguins, Steve Smith stepped up and led Oilers defense with 55 points and have a team record 286 penalty minutes.
In goal, Grant Fuhr appeared 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. Goalie Andy Moog demanded to be traded from the Oilers, and at the trading deadline, Edmonton dealt Moog and left wing Moe Lemay to the Boston Bruins for goaltender Bill Ranford, left wing Geoff Courtnall, right wing Alan May, and a second-round draft pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft.

## Season 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: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

### Record vs. opponents

Smythe Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Smythe Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
CGY
EDM
LAK
VAN
WIN
Total
Calgary
—4–3–14–46–0–23–4–117–11–4
Edmonton
3–4–1—4–2–27–0–14–1–318–7–7
Los Angeles
4–42–4–2—3–4–13–512–17–3
Vancouver
0–6–20–7–14–3–1—3–57–21–4
Winnipeg
4–3–11–4–35–35–3—15–13–4
Vs. Norris Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
CHI
DET
MIN
STL
TOR
Total
Calgary
2–0–11–1–12–0–12–13–010–2–3
Edmonton
1–21–22–0–13–02–0–19–4–2
Los Angeles
2–11–23–02–11–1–19–5–1
Vancouver
1–21–22–11–21–1–16–8–1
Winnipeg
1–1–10–2–12–0–12–12–17–5–3
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Adams Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
HFD
MTL
QUE
Total
Calgary
1–22–13–02–0–13–011–3–1
Edmonton
1–1–13–02–10–31–1–17–6–2
Los Angeles
0–2–11–20–31–22–14–10–1
Vancouver
1–21–1–10–1–20–2–13–05–6–4
Winnipeg
0–31–1–11–20–32–0–14–9–2
Vs. Patrick Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
NJD
NYI
NYR
PHI
PIT
WSH
Total
Calgary
2–11–22–13–00–2–12–110–7–1
Edmonton
1–21–22–12–13–01–210–8–0
Los Angeles
1–1–10–33–00–30–1–21–25–10–3
Vancouver
3–00–31–21–22–10–37–11–0
Winnipeg
2–0–11–20–2–10–32–12–17–9–2 :

## Schedule and results

1987–88 Schedule :
October: 6–5–0 (Home: 3–2–0; Road: 3–3–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
1October 9Detroit Red Wings4 – 1Edmonton OilersFuhr0–1–00
2October 11Edmonton Oilers9 – 2Los Angeles KingsFuhr1–1–02
3October 14Calgary Flames5 – 4Edmonton OilersFuhr1–2–02
4October 16Edmonton Oilers5 – 2Calgary FlamesFuhr2–2–04
5October 17Boston Bruins3 – 4Edmonton OilersFuhr3–2–06
6October 21Los Angeles Kings2 – 6Edmonton OilersFuhr4–2–08
7October 23Edmonton Oilers5 – 4Vancouver CanucksOTFuhr5–2–010
8October 24Vancouver Canucks5 – 9Edmonton OilersFuhr6–2–012
9October 27Edmonton Oilers0 – 5Quebec NordiquesFuhr6–3–012
10October 28Edmonton Oilers1 – 3Montreal CanadiensFuhr6–4–012
11October 31Edmonton Oilers5 – 6New Jersey DevilsFuhr6–5–012 :
November: 8–3–2 (Home: 5–1–0; Road: 3–2–2)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
12November 1Edmonton Oilers7 – 6New York RangersReaugh7–5–014
13November 4New York Rangers2 – 7Edmonton OilersFuhr8–5–016
14November 5Edmonton Oilers4 – 4Calgary FlamesOTFuhr8–5–117
15November 7Buffalo Sabres0 – 5Edmonton OilersFuhr9–5–119
16November 10Edmonton Oilers4 – 4Los Angeles KingsOTFuhr9–5–220
17November 14Edmonton Oilers6 – 5St. Louis BluesOTFuhr10–5–222
18November 15Edmonton Oilers4 – 5Chicago BlackhawksFuhr10–6–222
19November 18Quebec Nordiques1 – 4Edmonton OilersFuhr11–6–224
20November 20Pittsburgh Penguins1 – 4Edmonton OilersFuhr12–6–226
21November 22Edmonton Oilers3 – 4Winnipeg JetsOTFuhr12–7–226
22November 25New Jersey Devils8 – 7Edmonton OilersOTFuhr12–8–226
23November 27Chicago Blackhawks3 – 4Edmonton OilersFuhr13–8–228
24November 29Edmonton Oilers5 – 2Buffalo SabresFuhr14–8–230 :
December: 9–4–1 (Home: 7–1–1; Road: 2–3–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
25December 1Edmonton Oilers2 – 4Washington CapitalsFuhr14–9–230
26December 2Edmonton Oilers4 – 7Detroit Red WingsFuhr14–10–230
27December 5Toronto Maple Leafs2 – 5Edmonton OilersFuhr15–10–232
28December 6Minnesota North Stars4 – 10Edmonton OilersFuhr16–10–234
29December 9Winnipeg Jets0 – 2Edmonton OilersFuhr17–10–236
30December 11Vancouver Canucks1 – 2Edmonton OilersFuhr18–10–238
31December 12Edmonton Oilers6 – 3Vancouver CanucksFuhr19–10–240
32December 16Edmonton Oilers5 – 7Los Angeles KingsFuhr19–11–240
33December 18Winnipeg Jets5 – 5Edmonton OilersOTFuhr19–11–341
34December 19Hartford Whalers4 – 3Edmonton OilersReaugh19–12–341
35December 22Los Angeles Kings2 – 5Edmonton OilersFuhr20–12–343
36December 26Edmonton Oilers5 – 4Calgary FlamesFuhr21–12–345
37December 28Vancouver Canucks3 – 7Edmonton OilersFuhr22–12–347
38December 30Philadelphia Flyers0 – 6Edmonton OilersFuhr23–12–349 :
January: 6–5–4 (Home: 4–1–1; Road: 2–4–3)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
39January 2Edmonton Oilers0 – 2Washington CapitalsFuhr23–13–349
40January 4Edmonton Oilers2 – 2Boston BruinsOTFuhr23–13–450
41January 6Edmonton Oilers5 – 1Hartford WhalersFuhr24–13–452
42January 8Edmonton Oilers4 – 4Winnipeg JetsOTFuhr24–13–553
43January 9New York Islanders1 – 5Edmonton OilersFuhr25–13–555
44January 11Washington Capitals2 – 3Edmonton OilersFuhr26–13–557
45January 13Calgary Flames3 – 5Edmonton OilersFuhr27–13–559
46January 15Winnipeg Jets4 – 4Edmonton OilersOTFuhr27–13–660
47January 18Edmonton Oilers4 – 6Montreal CanadiensFuhr27–14–660
48January 19Edmonton Oilers4 – 4Quebec NordiquesOTFuhr27–14–761
49January 21Edmonton Oilers1 – 3Philadelphia FlyersFuhr27–15–761
50January 23Edmonton Oilers2 – 3New York IslandersFuhr27–16–761
51January 25Edmonton Oilers6 – 4Pittsburgh PenguinsFuhr28–16–763
52January 29Calgary Flames5 – 4Edmonton OilersFuhr28–17–763
53January 30Hartford Whalers2 – 5Edmonton OilersFuhr29–17–765 :
February: 6–4–1 (Home: 3–2–1; Road: 3–2–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
54February 3New Jersey Devils5 – 8Edmonton OilersFuhr30–17–767
55February 6Edmonton Oilers2 – 7Los Angeles KingsFuhr30–18–767
56February 11Edmonton Oilers7 – 2Vancouver CanucksFuhr31–18–769
57February 12Boston Bruins7 – 4Edmonton OilersFuhr31–19–769
58February 14Vancouver Canucks6 – 7Edmonton OilersFuhr32–19–771
59February 17Toronto Maple Leafs4 – 4Edmonton OilersOTFuhr32–19–872
60February 19Pittsburgh Penguins3 – 7Edmonton OilersFuhr33–19–874
61February 21Edmonton Oilers4 – 3Winnipeg JetsOTFuhr34–19–876
62February 23Edmonton Oilers6 – 4St. Louis BluesFuhr35–19–878
63February 24Edmonton Oilers4 – 6Chicago BlackhawksFuhr35–20–878
64February 28Calgary Flames3 – 2Edmonton OilersFuhr35–21–878 :
March: 7–4–3 (Home: 5–1–0; Road: 2–3–3)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
65March 1Los Angeles Kings3 – 5Edmonton OilersFuhr36–21–880
66March 4Philadelphia Flyers4 – 7Edmonton OilersFuhr37–21–882
67March 5Edmonton Oilers4 – 7Calgary FlamesFuhr37–22–882
68March 7Edmonton Oilers6 – 0Winnipeg JetsFuhr38–22–884
69March 9Montreal Canadiens4 – 1Edmonton OilersFuhr38–23–884
70March 12Edmonton Oilers3 – 3Vancouver CanucksOTRanford38–23–985
71March 15Buffalo Sabres4 – 6Edmonton OilersFuhr39–23–987
72March 18Winnipeg Jets1 – 4Edmonton OilersRanford40–23–989
73March 20Edmonton Oilers5 – 5Minnesota North StarsOTRanford40–23–1090
74March 22Edmonton Oilers6 – 4Detroit Red WingsFuhr41–23–1092
75March 24Edmonton Oilers1 – 6New York RangersFuhr42–23–1094
76March 26Edmonton Oilers4 – 5New York IslandersFuhr42–24–1094
77March 28Edmonton Oilers6 – 4Toronto Maple LeafsRanford43–24–1096
78March 30Minnesota North Stars3 – 6Edmonton OilersFuhr44–24–1098 :
April: 1–0–1 (Home: 1–0–1; Road: 0–0–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
79April 1St. Louis Blues2 – 5Edmonton OilersRanford44–25–1098
80April 3Los Angeles Kings5 – 5Edmonton OilersOTFuhr44–25–1199 :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

## Playoffs

In the playoffs, the Oilers started off by defeating the Winnipeg Jets in 5 games, and faced their Battle of Alberta rivals, the Calgary Flames in the Smythe Division finals. The Flames ended the Oilers' streak of six straight division titles by finishing six points ahead of Edmonton during the regular season and were favoured to win the series, however, the Oilers quickly swept Calgary to advance to the Campbell Conference finals, against the Detroit Red Wings. Edmonton had no problem getting past Detroit, winning the series in five games, and faced the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers continued to dominate, sweeping Boston despite having to play 5 games (game 4 was cancelled midway through the third period with the score tied at 3 due to a power failure at the Boston Garden) to win their fourth Stanley Cup in 5 years. Grant Fuhr set an NHL record by winning 16 playoff games, while Wayne Gretzky took home the Conn Smythe Trophy after earning a league high 43 playoff points.
1988 Stanley Cup Playoffs :
Smythe Division Semifinal; Oilers won series 4–1
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 6Winnipeg Jets4 – 7Edmonton OilersFuhr1–0
2April 7Winnipeg Jets2 – 3Edmonton OilersFuhr2–0
3April 9Edmonton Oilers4 – 6Winnipeg JetsFuhr2–1
4April 10Edmonton Oilers5 – 3Winnipeg JetsFuhr3–1
1April 12Winnipeg Jets2 – 6Edmonton OilersFuhr4–1 :
Smythe Division Final; Oilers won series 4–0
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 19Edmonton Oilers3 – 1Calgary FlamesFuhr1–0
2April 21Edmonton Oilers5 – 4Calgary FlamesOTFuhr2–0
3April 23Calgary Flames2 – 4Edmonton OilersFuhr3–0
4April 25Calgary Flames4 – 6Edmonton OilersFuhr4–0 :
Campbell Conference Final; Oilers won series 4–1
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1May 3Detroit Red Wings1 – 4Edmonton OilersFuhr1–0
2May 5Detroit Red Wings3 – 5Edmonton OilersFuhr2–0
3May 7Edmonton Oilers2 – 5Detroit Red WingsFuhr2–1
4May 9Edmonton Oilers4 – 3Detroit Red WingsOTFuhr3–1
5May 11Detroit Red Wings4 – 8Edmonton OilersFuhr4–1 :
Stanley Cup Finals; Oilers won series 4–0
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1May 18Boston Bruins1 – 2Edmonton OilersFuhr1–0
2May 20Boston Bruins2 – 4Edmonton OilersFuhr2–0
3May 22Edmonton Oilers6 – 3Boston BruinsFuhr3–0
4May 24Edmonton Oilers3 – 3Boston BruinsFuhr3–0
5May 26Boston Bruins3 – 6Edmonton OilersFuhr4–0 :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## 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 |

## Awards and records
### Records

* 1,050: A new NHL record for most assists in a career by Wayne Gretzky on Mar 1, 1988.
* 286: An Oilers record for most penalty minutes in a single season by Steve Smith.
      * 266: A new Oilers record for most penalty minutes in a single season by a defenceman by Steve Smith on ???, 1988.
* 51: A new NHL record for most career even strength goals in a playoffs by Jari Kurri on ???, 1988.
* 40: An Oilers record for most wins in a single season by Grant Fuhr.
      * 34: A new Oilers record for most wins in a single season by Grant Fuhr on February 23, 1988.
* 31: A new NHL record for most assists in a playoffs by Wayne Gretzky on May 26, 1988.

### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Kelly Buchberger | 1st NHL Game | October 9, 1987 |
| Jim Ennis | 1st NHL Game | October 9, 1987 |
| Glenn Anderson | 16th NHL Hat-trick | October 11, 1987 |
| Jim Ennis | 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point | October 11, 1987 |
| John Miner | 1st NHL Game 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | October 11, 1987 |
| Jari Kurri | 400th NHL Assist | October 14, 1987 |
| Craig Muni | 100th NHL Game | October 14, 1987 |
| Glenn Anderson | 17th NHL Hat-trick | October 16, 1987 |
| John Miner | 1st NHL Goal | October 16, 1987 |
| Normand Lacombe | 100th NHL Game | October 17, 1987 |
| Craig MacTavish | 200th NHL PIM | October 17, 1987 |
| Charlie Huddy | 300th NHL PIM | October 23, 1987 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 300th NHL PIM | October 24, 1987 |
| Kevin McClelland | 1,000th NHL PIM | October 24, 1987 |
| Grant Fuhr | 30th NHL Assist | October 31, 1987 |
| Steve Graves | 1st NHL Assist | November 1, 1987 |
| Craig MacTavish | 200th NHL Point | November 1, 1987 |
| Daryl Reaugh | 1st NHL Win | November 1, 1987 |
| Ron Shudra | 1st NHL Game | November 1, 1987 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 100th NHL Point | November 1, 1987 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 42nd NHL Hat-trick 1,000th NHL Assist | November 4, 1987 |
| Mike Krushelnyski | 300th NHL Point | November 5, 1987 |
| Ron Shudra | 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | November 7, 1987 |
| Craig Muni | 100th NHL PIM | November 15, 1987 |
| Steve Smith | 400th NHL PIM | November 25, 1987 |
| Mike Krushelnyski | 400th NHL Game | November 29, 1987 |
| Mark Messier | 800th NHL PIM | November 29, 1987 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 200th NHL PIM | December 5, 1987 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 43rd NHL Hat-trick 4th Five-Goal NHL Game | December 6, 1987 |
| Craig MacTavish | 400th NHL Game | December 11, 1987 |
| Marty McSorley | 700th NHL PIM 200th NHL Game | December 12, 1987 |
| Mark Messier | 600th NHL Game | December 12, 1987 |
| Mark Messier | 400th NHL Assist | December 16, 1987 |
| Craig Simpson | 2nd NHL Gordie Howe hat trick | December 16, 1987 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1,600th NHL Point | December 22, 1987 |
| Jeff Beukeboom | 200th NHL PIM | December 30, 1987 |
| Dave Hannan | 300th NHL Game | December 30, 1987 |
| Jari Kurri | 800th NHL Point | December 30, 1987 |
| Kevin McClelland | 1,100th NHL PIM | December 30, 1987 |
| Scott Metcalfe | 1st NHL Game | January 4, 1988 |
| Grant Fuhr | 300th NHL Game | January 15, 1988 |
| Mark Messier | 700th NHL Point | January 15, 1988 |
| Kelly Buchberger | 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point | January 19, 1988 |
| Selmar Odelein | 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | January 19, 1988 |
| Dave Hannan | 1st NHL Hat-trick | January 25, 1988 |
| Craig Simpson | 200th NHL Game | January 29, 1988 |
| Steve Smith | 500th NHL PIM | January 30, 1988 |
| Marty McSorley | 800th NHL PIM | February 3, 1988 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 3rd NHL Hat-trick | February 3, 1988 |
| Dave Hannan | 400th NHL PIM | February 12, 1988 |
| Mark Messier | 9th NHL Hat-trick | February 14, 1988 |
| Kevin Lowe | 700th NHL PIM | February 17, 1988 |
| Jeff Beukeboom | 100th NHL Game | February 19, 1988 |
| Steve Dykstra | 400th NHL PIM | February 19, 1988 |
| Charlie Huddy | 200th NHL Assist | February 21, 1988 |
| Glenn Anderson | 18th NHL Hat-trick 2nd Four-Goal NHL Game 2nd NHL Natural Hat-trick | March 4, 1988 |
| Kevin McClelland | 1,200th NHL PIM | March 4, 1988 |
| Jeff Beukeboom | 300th NHL PIM | March 7, 1988 |
| Kevin McClelland | 400th NHL Game | March 7, 1988 |
| Glenn Anderson | 500th NHL PIM | March 9, 1988 |
| Geoff Courtnall | ??? NHL Hat-trick | March 15, 1988 |
| Mark Messier | 300th NHL Goal | March 15, 1988 |
| Craig Simpson | 50th Goal in 71 Games | March 15, 1988 |
| Mike Krushelynski | 300th NHL PIM | March 18, 1988 |
| Craig MacTavish | 100th NHL Goal | March 18, 1988 |
| Glenn Anderson | 700th NHL Point | March 22, 1988 |
| Steve Smith | 600th NHL PIM | March 24, 1988 |
| Keith Acton | 400th NHL PIM | March 26, 1988 |
| Glenn Anderson | 600th NHL Game | March 30, 1988 |
| Steve Smith | 100th NHL Point | March 30, 1988 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 100th NHL Assist | March 30, 1988 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 300th NHL PIM | April 1, 1988 |
| Jari Kurri | 600th NHL Game | April 3, 1988 |
Playoffs :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Glenn Anderson | 200th NHL PIM 2nd NHL Hat-trick | April 6, 1988 |
| Dave Hannan | 1st NHL Game 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | April 6, 1988 |
| Normand Lacombe | 1st NHL Game | April 6, 1988 |
| Kevin Lowe | 100th NHL Game | April 6, 1988 |
| Craig Simpson | 1st NHL Game 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | April 6, 1988 |
| Glenn Anderson | 100th NHL Game | April 7, 1988 |
| Jari Kurri | 100th NHL Game | April 7, 1988 |
| Normand Lacombe | 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point | April 9, 1988 |
| Marty McSorley | 150th NHL PIM | April 9, 1988 |
| Grant Fuhr | 50th NHL Win | April 10, 1988 |
| Kevin McClelland | 200th NHL PIM | April 10, 1988 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 150th NHL Assist | April 12, 1988 |
| Kevin Lowe | 100th NHL PIM | April 12, 1988 |
| Jari Kurri | 150th NHL Point | April 21, 1988 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 50th NHL PIM | April 21, 1988 |
| Dave Hannan | 1st NHL Goal | April 25, 1988 |
| Mark Messier | 50th NHL Goal | April 25, 1988 |
| Steve Smith | 100th NHL PIM | April 25, 1988 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 50th NHL PIM | May 7, 1988 |
| Keith Acton | 50th NHL PIM | May 9, 1988 |
| Mark Messier | 150th NHL Point | May 9, 1988 |
| Grant Fuhr | 10th NHL Assist | May 11, 1988 |
| Mike Krushelnyski | 50th NHL Point | May 11, 1988 |
| Randy Gregg | 100th NHL Game | May 20, 1988 |
| Kevin McClelland | 250th NHL PIM | May 20, 1988 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 1st NHL Hat-trick | May 22, 1988 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 100th NHL PIM 50th NHL Game | May 24, 1988 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 250th NHL Point | May 26, 1988 |

## Transactions
### Trades

| October 19, 1987 | To Montreal CanadiensCash | To Edmonton OilersDave Donnelly |
| November 24, 1987 | To Pittsburgh PenguinsPaul Coffey Dave Hunter Wayne Van Dorp | To Edmonton OilersMoe Mantha Dave Hannan Craig Simpson Chris Joseph |
| January 22, 1988 | To Minnesota North StarsMoe Mantha | To Edmonton OilersKeith Acton |
| February 11, 1988 | To Buffalo SabresScott Metcalfe 9th round pick in 1989 | To Edmonton OilersSteve Dykstra 7th round pick in 1989 |
| March 8, 1988 | To Boston BruinsAndy Moog Moe Lemay | To Edmonton OilersBill Ranford Geoff Courtnall Alan May 2nd round pick in 1988 |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team |
| July 27, 1987 (1987-07-27) | Gary Emmons | New York Rangers |
| October 8, 1987 (1987-10-08) | Warren Skorodenski | Chicago Blackhawks |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team |
| July 1, 1987 (1987-07-01) | Murray Eaves | Detroit Red Wings |
| July 17, 1987 (1987-07-17) | Don Biggs | Philadelphia Flyers |
| July 31, 1987 (1987-07-31) | Jim Playfair | Chicago Blackhawks |
| March 2, 1988 (1988-03-02) | Ken Berry | Vancouver Canucks |

### Waivers

| Date | Player | Team |
| October 5, 1987 (1987-10-05) | Mark Lamb | from Detroit Red Wings |
| October 5, 1987 (1987-10-05) | Reijo Ruotsalainen | to New Jersey Devils |
| October 5, 1987 (1987-10-05) | Al Tuer | to Minnesota North Stars |

### Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. The Oilers attempted to select Dave Wensley in the second round of the 1987 NHL Supplemental Draft, but the claim was ruled invalid since Wensley entered school after age 20 and therefore did not meet eligibility requirements.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 21 | Peter Soberlak | Canada | Swift Current Broncos (WHL) |
| 2 | 42 | Brad Werenka | Canada | Northern Michigan Wildcats (WCHA) |
| 3 | 63 | Geoff Smith | Canada | St. Albert Saints (AJHL) |
| 4 | 64 | Peter Eriksson | Sweden | HV71 (Elitserien) |
| 5 | 105 | Shaun Van Allen | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) |
| 6 | 126 | Radek Toupal | Czechoslovakia | České Budějovice (Czechoslovak Extraliga) |
| 7 | 147 | Tomas Srsen | Czechoslovakia | TJ Zetor Brno (Czechoslovak Extraliga) |
| 8 | 168 | Age Ellingsen | Norway | Storhamar Dragons (Norwegian 1. Divisjon) |
| 9 | 189 | Gavin Armstrong | Canada | RPI Engineers (ECAC) |
| 10 | 210 | Mike Tinkham | United States | Newburyport High School (USHS) |
| 11 | 231 | Jeff Pauletti | Canada | Minnesota Golden Gophers (WCHA) |
| 12 | 241 | Jesper Duus | Denmark | Rødovre Mighty Bulls (Danish Eliteserien) |
| 12 | 252 | Igor Vyazmikin | Soviet Union | CSKA Moscow (Soviet League) |