# 1991–92 Edmonton Oilers season

The 1991–92 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 13th season in the National Hockey League (NHL), and they were coming off a third-round playoff appearance in 1990–91, losing to the Minnesota North Stars in the Campbell Conference finals.
Prior to the season, the Oilers were involved in a couple of blockbuster deals, the first one occurring on September 19, as Edmonton traded Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson, and Craig Berube to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Vincent Damphousse, Peter Ing, Scott Thornton, and Luke Richardson. A little over two weeks later, the Oilers then dealt Mark Messier to the New York Rangers for Bernie Nicholls, Steven Rice, and Louie DeBrusk. Edmonton also named Ted Green as head coach as John Muckler left the Oilers for a job with the Buffalo Sabres.
Vincent Damphousse was the Oilers leader offensively, scoring a team high 38 goals and 51 assists for 89 points. Joe Murphy had a solid season, earning 82 points. Bernie Nicholls missed 31 games due to injury but recorded 49 points in the 49 games he played in. Defensively, Dave Manson anchored the blueline, leading all defensemen with 15 goals and 47 points and led the club in penalty minutes with 220. Fellow blueliner Norm MacIver earned 40 points in 59 games.
In goal, Bill Ranford appeared in 67 of the Oilers 80 games, winning 27 of them, and he posted a GAA of 3.58, and he earned a shutout along the way.
In the playoffs, the Oilers faced against Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings, who finished two points ahead of Edmonton in the standings. The teams split the first four games, before Edmonton took control of the series, winning Game 5 in LA and taking the series with a solid 3–0 win in Game 6. The Oilers faced the regular season division champion Vancouver Canucks in the second round, and after splitting the opening two games in Vancouver, the Oilers won the next two games at home to take a 3–1 series lead. The Oilers lost Game 5 in Vancouver but won the series at home in the sixth game, setting up a matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks for the Campbell Conference championship. Chicago proved too much for the Oilers to handle, as Chicago swept the series, outscoring Edmonton 21–8.
This was the Oilers' eighth conference final appearance in 10 years, and their third in a row. However, the Oilers did not advance this far in the playoffs again until 2006.

## Season standings

Smythe Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 42 | 26 | 12 | 285 | 250 | 96 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 35 | 31 | 14 | 287 | 250 | 84 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 36 | 34 | 10 | 295 | 297 | 82 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 33 | 32 | 15 | 251 | 244 | 81 |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 31 | 37 | 12 | 296 | 305 | 74 |
| San Jose Sharks | 80 | 17 | 58 | 5 | 219 | 359 | 39 |
Campbell Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Detroit Red Wings | NRS | 80 | 43 | 25 | 12 | 320 | 256 | 98 |
| 2 | Vancouver Canucks | SMY | 80 | 42 | 26 | 12 | 285 | 250 | 96 |
| 3 | Chicago Blackhawks | NRS | 80 | 36 | 29 | 15 | 257 | 236 | 87 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Kings | SMY | 80 | 35 | 31 | 14 | 287 | 296 | 84 |
| 5 | St. Louis Blues | NRS | 80 | 36 | 33 | 11 | 279 | 266 | 83 |
| 6 | Edmonton Oilers | SMY | 80 | 36 | 34 | 10 | 295 | 297 | 82 |
| 7 | Winnipeg Jets | SMY | 80 | 33 | 32 | 15 | 251 | 244 | 81 |
| 8 | Calgary Flames | SMY | 80 | 31 | 37 | 12 | 296 | 305 | 74 |
| 9 | Minnesota North Stars | NRS | 80 | 32 | 42 | 6 | 246 | 278 | 70 |
| 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NRS | 80 | 30 | 43 | 7 | 234 | 294 | 67 |
| 11 | San Jose Sharks | SMY | 80 | 17 | 58 | 5 | 219 | 359 | 39 |
Divisions: NRS – Norris, SMY – Smythe
bold – Qualified for playoffs

## Schedule and results

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

## Playoffs
### Edmonton Oilers 4, Los Angeles Kings 2

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | April 18 | Edmonton Oilers | 3–1 | Los Angeles Kings | 1–0 |
| 2 | April 20 | Edmonton Oilers | 5–8 | Los Angeles Kings | 1–1 |
| 3 | April 22 | Los Angeles Kings | 3–4 | Edmonton Oilers | 2–1 |
| 4 | April 24 | Los Angeles Kings | 4–3 | Edmonton Oilers | 2–2 |
| 5 | April 26 | Edmonton Oilers | 5–2 | Los Angeles Kings | 3–2 |
| 6 | April 28 | Los Angeles Kings | 0–3 | Edmonton Oilers | 4–2 |

### Edmonton Oilers 4, Vancouver Canucks 2

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | May 3 | Edmonton Oilers | 4–3 | Vancouver Canucks | 1–0 |
| 2 | May 4 | Edmonton Oilers | 0–4 | Vancouver Canucks | 1–1 |
| 3 | May 6 | Vancouver Canucks | 2–5 | Edmonton Oilers | 2–1 |
| 4 | May 8 | Vancouver Canucks | 2–3 | Edmonton Oilers | 3–1 |
| 5 | May 10 | Edmonton Oilers | 3–4 | Vancouver Canucks | 3–2 |
| 6 | May 12 | Vancouver Canucks | 0–3 | Edmonton Oilers | 4–2 |

### Chicago Blackhawks 4, Edmonton Oilers 0

| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | May 16 | Edmonton Oilers | 2–8 | Chicago Blackhawks | 0–1 |
| 2 | May 18 | Edmonton Oilers | 2–4 | Chicago Blackhawks | 0–2 |
| 3 | May 20 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4–3 | Edmonton Oilers | 0–3 |
| 4 | May 22 | Chicago Blackhawks | 5–1 | Edmonton Oilers | 0–4 |

## Season stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Vincent Damphousse | 80 | 38 | 51 | 89 | 53 |
| Joe Murphy | 80 | 35 | 47 | 82 | 52 |
| Craig Simpson | 79 | 24 | 37 | 61 | 80 |
| Scott Mellanby | 80 | 23 | 27 | 50 | 197 |
| Bernie Nicholls | 49 | 20 | 29 | 49 | 60 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | SO | Save % | GAA |
| Norm Foster | 10 | 439 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 0 | .891 | 2.73 |
| Bill Ranford | 67 | 3822 | 27 | 26 | 10 | 228 | 1 | .884 | 3.58 |
| Peter Ing | 12 | 463 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 0 | .869 | 4.28 |
| Ron Tugnutt | 3 | 124 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | .863 | 4.84 |

## Playoff stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Joe Murphy | 16 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 12 |
| Bernie Nicholls | 16 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 25 |
| Vincent Damphousse | 16 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 8 |
| Dave Manson | 16 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 44 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 8 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | Save % | GAA |
| Ron Tugnutt | 2 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .912 | 3.00 |
| Bill Ranford | 16 | 909 | 8 | 8 | 51 | 2 | .895 | 3.37 |

## Awards and records
### Records

* 1,081: A new Oilers record for most penalty minutes in a career by defenceman by Kevin Lowe on October 8, 1991.

## Transactions
### Trades

| May 30, 1991 | To Philadelphia FlyersJari Kurri Dave Brown Corey Foster | To Edmonton OilersScott Mellanby Craig Berube Craig Fisher |
| June 12, 1991 | To Winnipeg JetsJohn LeBlanc 10th round pick in 1992 | To Edmonton Oilers5th round pick in 1991 |
| September 11, 1991 | To Boston Bruins6th round pick in 1992 | To Edmonton OilersNorm Foster |
| September 19, 1991 | To Toronto Maple LeafsGlenn Anderson Grant Fuhr Craig Berube | To Edmonton OilersVincent Damphousse Luke Richardson Peter Ing Scott Thornton Future considerations Cash |
| October 2, 1991 | To Chicago BlackhawksSteve Smith | To Edmonton OilersDave Manson 3rd round pick in 1992 |
| October 4, 1991 | To New York RangersMark Messier | To Edmonton OilersBernie Nicholls Steven Rice Louie DeBrusk |
| October 7, 1991 | To Toronto Maple LeafsKen Linseman | To Edmonton OilersCash |
| November 12, 1991 | To New York RangersJeff Beukeboom | To Edmonton OilersDavid Shaw |
| January 12, 1992 | To New Jersey DevilsTroy Mallette | To Edmonton OilersDavid Maley |
| January 21, 1992 | To Minnesota North StarsDavid Shaw | To Edmonton OilersBrian Glynn |
| February 22, 1992 | To Detroit Red WingsMax Middendorf | To Edmonton OilersBill McDougall |
| March 10, 1992 | To Quebec NordiquesMartin Rucinsky | To Edmonton OilersRon Tugnutt Brad Zavisha |

### Free agents

| Player | Former Team |
| F Dean Antos | Northern Michigan Wildcats (NCAA) |
| Player | New Team |
| F Brad Aitken | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| F Adam Graves | New York Rangers |

### Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, the Oilers had two picks in the first round as part of the Wayne Gretzky trade.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 12 | Tyler Wright | Canada | Swift Current Broncos (WHL) |
| 1 | 20 | Martin Rucinsky | Czechoslovakia | Chemopetrol Litvínov (Czechoslovakia) |
| 2 | 34 | Andrew Verner | Canada | Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
| 3 | 56 | George Breen | United States | Cushing Academy (USHS-MA) |
| 4 | 78 | Mario Nobili | Canada | Verdun Collège Français (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 93 | Ryan Haggerty | United States | Westminster High School (USHS-CT) |
| 7 | 144 | David Oliver | Canada | University of Michigan (NCAA) |
| 8 | 166 | Gary Kitching | Canada | Thunder Bay Flyers (USHL) |
| 10 | 210 | Vegar Barlie | Norway | Vålerenga (Norway) |
| 11 | 232 | Evgeny Belosheikin | Soviet Union | CSKA Moscow (Russia) |
| 12 | 254 | Juha Riihijärvi | Finland | Oulun Kärpät (Finland) |
| S | 18 | Tom Holdeman | United States | Miami University (CCHA) |