# 1989–90 Edmonton Oilers season

The 1989–90 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 11th season in the NHL, and they were coming off their shortest playoff run in seven years when the Los Angeles Kings defeated Edmonton in the first round of the playoffs. Edmonton improved their point total from 84 to 90 and finished in 2nd place in the Smythe Division.

## Regular season

In the first month of the season, the Oilers faced adversity on multiple fronts, on and off the ice. First, goaltender Grant Fuhr underwent an emergency appendectomy in training camp that kept him sidelined for several weeks. Backup goaltender Bill Ranford started the season in his place. Next, forward Jimmy Carson, the team's leading goal scorer from the previous year, abruptly left the team after the 4th game of the season and demanded a trade. Among his reasons, Carson found the pressure of replacing Wayne Gretzky, the player he was traded for, impossible to play under. In addition, Carson, who grew up in Michigan with an affluent family, did not enjoy life in the city of Edmonton, which was nearing the end of a crushing recession. Finally, the Oilers granted Carson's wish and dealt him to his hometown Detroit Red Wings. In return, The Oilers received forwards Petr Klima, Joe Murphy, and Adam Graves, and defenceman Jeff Sharples from Detroit. Finally, in the Oilers' fifth game of the season, at home against the Los Angeles Kings, Wayne Gretzky broke the all-time NHL points record held by Gordie Howe; watching Gretzky celebrate the milestone was tough on his former Oilers' teammates, who felt they should have been the ones celebrating with him. These incidents, combined with weak defensive play and penalty killing, combined to put the Oilers on a slide early in the season, and they reached the quarter-mark of the season with a 6–9–5 record, which sat them in last place in the Smythe Division. To make matters worse, Fuhr, who returned from his appendectomy, injured his shoulder and was sidelined again. The one bright spot on the team was forward Mark Messier, who sat 2nd in the NHL in points at the 20-game mark and battled all season with Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman for the Art Ross Trophy.
Then, buoyed by the formation of the line of Martin Gelinas, Graves, and Murphy, the Oilers embarked on a run where they lost only once in 13 games. While many of their offensive stars were not scoring as they did in previous seasons, the Oilers succeeded by playing an all-around game and overtook the slumping Calgary Flames for first place in the division. The Oilers' record over their next twenty games was 15–3–2, and they finished the halfway point of the season with a record of 21–12–7, good for second place in the entire NHL behind the Buffalo Sabres. Messier continued his stellar play in all areas of the ice and was considered to be one of two favourites for the Hart Trophy along with Bruins' captain Ray Bourque.
At the 41st NHL All Star Game in Pittsburgh, three players represented the Oilers: Messier, Kevin Lowe, and Jari Kurri. Lowe was voted in as a starter by the fans, the last time to date that the Oilers had a player voted into the starting lineup via fan balloting until Connor McDavid in 2017.
As the second half of the season got underway, the Oilers entered a mid-season slump. The team could not piece together any sort of meaningful winning streak and finished the third quarter of the season with a record of 7–8–5, good enough for an overall season record of 28–20–12. One notable achievement came on January 2 in a game against the St. Louis Blues, where Jari Kurri scored the 1,000th point of his career. Another notable game occurred on January 25 at home against the Kings, where the Oilers fell behind 6–3 after 40 minutes. In the 3rd period, the Oilers mounted their biggest comeback of the regular season, scoring 4 goals en route to a 7–6 victory. Messier led the way with 4 assists in a performance that completely overshadowed Wayne Gretzky.
Grant Fuhr was plagued by injury problems throughout the season and struggled to find his form, and was in net for a March 9 game against the Winnipeg Jets where the Oilers squandered a 4–0 first-period lead and lost the game 7–5. Fuhr injured his shoulder shortly afterward and missed a month with the injury. Ranford started most of the games during Fuhr's injury absences, but he too was injured by an errant stick in a game against the New Jersey Devils on February 6, forcing third-string goaltender Pokey Reddick into service. The club also made use of minor league goalies Randy Exelby and Mike Greenlay at this time. On February 25, the Oilers lost to their provincial rivals, the Flames, by a lopsided score of 10–4. The loss put the Oilers in an unfriendly mood, and during their next game in Los Angeles on February 28, the teams combined for a then-NHL record 86 penalties, mostly in fighting majors, in a 4–2 Edmonton loss. Incidents in the game drew the ire of commentators and even earned negative commentary from the NHL's head office. In the second last game of the season against Calgary, Grant Fuhr re-injured his bad shoulder and had to sit out for the entire playoffs. The team finished the last quarter of the season with a 10–8–2 record: the Oilers finished the season with a record of 38–28–14, good for 2nd place in the Smythe Division and 5th place overall in the NHL. Owing to the team's fierceness at varying points in the season, culminating with the brawl in Los Angeles, the Oilers were the most penalized team in the NHL for the first time in team history.
Mark Messier finished second in the NHL scoring race; he finished with a career-high 129 points (45 goals, 84 assists), 13 points behind Wayne Gretzky, 2 ahead of Steve Yzerman, and 6 ahead of Mario Lemieux (who missed 21 games with back injuries). Messier was the lone Oiler to break the 100-point barrier. Jari Kurri recorded 93 points (33 goals, 60 assists); it was Kurri's lowest point total in 8 seasons, but in keeping with the Oilers' new two-way philosophy under coach John Muckler, Kurri finished with a +18, second highest among Oiler forwards. Craig Simpson provided some scoring, getting 29 goals and 61 points, and provided some toughness, leading the club with 180 penalty minutes. Veteran defenceman Randy Gregg led the team in plus-minus with a +24. In goal, Bill Ranford got the majority of starts, winning a club-high 24 games and having a 3.19 GAA. Grant Fuhr put together a 9–7–3 record with a 3.83 GAA despite being injured throughout the season.
For the seventh time in eight seasons, the Oilers led the league in most short-handed goals scored, with 22. They were also the most penalized team in the league, being short-handed 417 times.

## Playoffs

In the opening round of the playoffs, the Oilers faced the 3rd place Winnipeg Jets for the sixth time in club history; the Oilers had won all previous five series played against the Jets and had only lost one game in the five series combined. However, the Jets stunned Edmonton by winning the first game 7–5 at Northlands Coliseum and took a commanding 3–1 series lead with two thrilling one-goal victories on home ice, which included game four going into double overtime. This started speculation that the Oilers could not win without Wayne Gretzky. In Game Five in Edmonton, the Jets built up a 3–1 lead in the second period, and the Oilers' season appeared to be over. However, late in the second period, the Jets had back-to-back breakaways on the same shift, and goalie Bill Ranford stopped them both. After the second breakaway, the Oilers immediately transitioned to offence, and Craig Simpson scored to make it 3–2. Seconds later, the Oilers scored again to tie the game 3–3 heading to intermission. Messier scored the winner in the third period for a 4–3 Edmonton win. In Game Six in Winnipeg, The Oilers pulled out another 4–3 victory to tie the series. Kurri scored the winner on a slapshot from the right faceoff circle late in the third period. Edmonton won Game Seven on home ice 4–1, completing the comeback and moving on to the Smythe Division Finals.
In the Smythe Division Finals, the Oilers faced the Los Angeles Kings, who had upset the defending champion Calgary Flames in their opening round, and the team that eliminated the Oilers from the playoffs the previous season. In Game One, the Oilers served notice that this time would be different, dominating from start to finish and cruising to an easy 7–0 victory. It was Bill Ranford's first career playoff shutout. Game Two was much closer for the first 45 minutes, as the Oilers held a slim 2–1 lead before scoring 4 goals in the final 6 minutes en route to an easy 6–1 victory. Game Three in Los Angeles saw the Kings jump out to a 3–1 first-period lead before the Oilers scored 4 unanswered goals en route to a 5–4 win. Game Four was another high-scoring battle as the teams traded goals throughout regulation, and the game was tied 5–5 at the end of three periods. Joe Murphy scored in the first overtime to clinch the sweep for Edmonton. The Oilers got their revenge for the previous season's playoff loss, sweeping the Kings 4–0 and outscoring them 24–10. Oilers forward Esa Tikkanen almost totally neutralized Wayne Gretzky throughout the series with relentless checking and sound positional play, holding Gretzky to a single point in the entire series.
In the Campbell Conference Finals, the Oilers met the Norris Division champion Chicago Blackhawks. The Oilers took Game One of the series, stretching their playoff win streak to eight games before Chicago evened the series at Northlands Coliseum with a 4–3 victory. Game Three at Chicago Stadium was dominated by the Blackhawks 5–1, as they took advantage of several Oiler defensive zone turnovers. In Game Four at Chicago Stadium, Mark Messier ran roughshod over the Blackhawks in what New York Times reporter Jeff Klein called "the most terrifying one-man wrecking crew display in hockey history." Messier scored two goals, added two assists, threw several hard hits, and broke multiple hockey sticks over Blackhawks' players in a 4–2 Edmonton victory. The Oilers returned home and won Game Five by a tight 4–3 margin, and returned to Chicago Stadium and thumped the Blackhawks 8–4 to clinch the series in 6 games. Forward Glenn Anderson led the way in the final game, scoring a goal and two assists. The Oilers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the sixth time in eight seasons and in their 11-year NHL history.
The team the Oilers faced for the Stanley Cup was the Presidents' Trophy champions, the Boston Bruins, whom the Oilers swept to win the 1988 Stanley Cup. Game One played at the Boston Garden, saw the Oilers jump to a 2–0 lead early in the second period on goals from Adam Graves and Glenn Anderson before the Bruins tied the game in the third on two goals from Ray Bourque. The game went into overtime and was won by the Oilers in the third overtime period on a goal from Petr Klima. The Oilers pulled off a stunning victory despite being outshot in the game 52–31. It was the longest Stanley Cup Finals game in NHL history at 115:13, a record that still stands. In Game Two, Bill Ranford kept up his great play, and the Oilers led 2–1 at the end of the first period despite being outshot 10–2. The Oilers cruised to a 7–2 victory on Boston ice behind a 3-goal, 2-assist performance from Jari Kurri. With his third goal, Kurri surpassed Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's all-time leading playoff goal scorer. The Oilers returned home for Game Three with a comfortable 2–0 series lead, but on home ice surrendered two quick goals to the Bruins, who never looked back in cruising to a 2–1 victory. Game Four saw the Oilers jump on the Bruins early and often: Esa Tikkanen and Steve Smith shut down Bruin forwards Craig Janney and Cam Neely respectively, and the Oilers cruised to a 5–1 win. The Oilers' top line of Simpson, Messier, and Anderson combined for 4 goals and 11 points. Anderson also made a major impact in Game Five in Boston: after a fast and furious first period, where both teams failed to score, Anderson scored on an end-to-end rush early in the second by walking right through two Boston defenders. Later in the period, Anderson struck again, setting up Simpson for the eventual game-winner with a spinning behind-the-back backhand pass. The Oilers scored twice more in the third and cruised to an easy 4–1 victory to claim the team's fifth Stanley Cup in seven years. Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy, and Kevin Lowe each won their 5th Stanley Cup with Edmonton. Goaltender Bill Ranford, a former Bruin, won the Conn Smythe Trophy after he tied an NHL record by winning all 16 playoff games. Ranford was especially spectacular in the Cup Finals, posting a 1.35 GAA and a .949 save percentage against his former team. Craig Simpson led all playoff goal scorers with 16: Simpson tied with Mark Messier for the scoring lead in the playoffs with 31 points each.

## Post-season

At the NHL Awards, Mark Messier was voted the winner of the Lester B. Pearson Trophy as the NHLPA's most outstanding player, and the winner of the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. Messier was also voted to the NHL's First All-Star Team at centre. Assistant captain Kevin Lowe was voted the winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for his humanitarian contributions to the community.

## Season standings

Smythe Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 42 | 23 | 15 | 348 | 265 | 99 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 38 | 28 | 14 | 315 | 283 | 90 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 37 | 32 | 11 | 298 | 290 | 85 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 34 | 39 | 7 | 338 | 337 | 75 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 25 | 41 | 14 | 245 | 306 | 64 |
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.
Campbell Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Calgary Flames | SMY | 80 | 42 | 23 | 15 | 348 | 265 | 99 |
| 2 | Edmonton Oilers | SMY | 80 | 38 | 28 | 14 | 315 | 283 | 90 |
| 3 | Chicago Blackhawks | NRS | 80 | 41 | 33 | 6 | 316 | 294 | 88 |
| 4 | Winnipeg Jets | SMY | 80 | 37 | 32 | 11 | 298 | 290 | 85 |
| 5 | St. Louis Blues | NRS | 80 | 37 | 34 | 9 | 295 | 279 | 83 |
| 6 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NRS | 80 | 38 | 38 | 4 | 337 | 358 | 80 |
| 7 | Minnesota North Stars | NRS | 80 | 36 | 40 | 4 | 284 | 291 | 76 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Kings | SMY | 80 | 34 | 39 | 7 | 338 | 337 | 75 |
| 9 | Detroit Red Wings | NRS | 80 | 28 | 38 | 14 | 288 | 323 | 70 |
| 10 | Vancouver Canucks | SMY | 80 | 25 | 41 | 14 | 245 | 306 | 64 |
Divisions: NRS – Norris, SMY – Smythe
bold – Qualified for playoffs

### Record vs. opponents
#### Vs. Campbell Conference

1989–90 NHL records :
| Team | CGY | EDM | LAK | VAN | WIN | Total |
| Calgary | — | 4–3–1 | 4–3–1 | 5–1–2 | 3–5 | 16–12–4 |
| Edmonton | 3–4–1 | — | 4–2–2 | 6–1–1 | 5–3 | 18–10–4 |
| Los Angeles | 3–4–1 | 2–4–2 | — | 4–2–2 | 2–5–1 | 11–15–6 |
| Vancouver | 1–5–2 | 1–6–1 | 2–4–2 | — | 2–3–3 | 6–18–8 |
| Winnipeg | 5–3 | 3–5 | 5–2–1 | 3–3–2 | — | 16–13–3 |
1989–90 NHL records :
| Team | CHI | DET | MIN | STL | TOR | Total |
| Calgary | 2–0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0–1 | 2–1 | 9–4–2 |
| Edmonton | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–0–1 | 1–2 | 8–6–1 |
| Los Angeles | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 7–8–0 |
| Vancouver | 1–2 | 1–1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 6–8–1 |
| Winnipeg | 1–2 | 1–1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1–1 | 2–0–1 | 6–6–3 |
Vs. Wales Conference
1989–90 NHL records :
| Team | BOS | BUF | HFD | MTL | QUE | Total |
| Calgary | 1–1–1 | 1–1–1 | 2–0–1 | 1–2 | 1–0–2 | 6–4–5 |
| Edmonton | 0–2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1–2 | 1–1–1 | 3–0 | 6–5–4 |
| Los Angeles | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1–1 | 3–0 | 7–7–1 |
| Vancouver | 2–1 | 0–2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–2–1 | 4–9–2 |
| Winnipeg | 1–1–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–1–1 | 2–1 | 6–7–2 |
1989–90 NHL records :
| Team | NJD | NYI | NYR | PHI | PIT | WSH | Total |
| Calgary | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1–1 | 2–0–1 | 0–1–2 | 11–3–4 |
| Edmonton | 0–1–2 | 1–0–2 | 0–2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 6–7–5 |
| Los Angeles | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 9–9–0 |
| Vancouver | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–0–2 | 2–1 | 2–0–1 | 9–6–3 |
| Winnipeg | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2–1 | 3–0 | 9–7–2 |

## Schedule and results

1987–88 Schedule :
October: 4–5–3 (Home: 1–3–1; Road: 3–2–2)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
1October 5Edmonton Oilers4 – 1Vancouver CanucksRanford16,0871–0–02
2October 7Edmonton Oilers6 – 5Los Angeles KingsRanford16,0052–0–04
3October 11Vancouver Canucks5 – 2Edmonton OilersRanford16,0472–1–04
4October 13Boston Bruins3 – 3Edmonton OilersOTRanford16,0942–1–15
5October 15Los Angeles Kings5 – 4Edmonton OilersOTRanford17,5032–2–15
6October 18Winnipeg Jets2 – 7Edmonton OilersRanford15,6763–2–17
7October 20Boston Bruins3 – 0Edmonton OilersRanford16,8863–3–17
8October 22Edmonton Oilers4 – 5Winnipeg JetsRanford12,6543–4–17
9October 24Edmonton Oilers3 – 3New York IslandersOTRanford10,4093–4–28
10October 25Edmonton Oilers3 – 3New York RangersOTRanford15,5013–4–39
11October 28Edmonton Oilers6 – 3Quebec NordiquesRanford15,3994–4–311
12October 29Edmonton Oilers4 – 5Montreal CanadiensFuhr16,5644–5–311 :
November: 8–5–2 (Home: 4–1–2; Road: 4–4–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
13November 1New Jersey Devils6 – 6Edmonton OilersOTFuhr15,7284–5–412
14November 3Calgary Flames2 – 5Edmonton OilersFuhr17,5035–5–414
15November 4Pittsburgh Penguins3 – 1Edmonton OilersFuhr17,5035–6–414
16November 6Edmonton Oilers1 – 5Calgary FlamesFuhr20,1075–7–414
17November 9Edmonton Oilers2 – 6Boston BruinsFuhr14,0765–8–414
18November 11Edmonton Oilers5 – 3Washington CapitalsRanford18,1306–8–416
19November 12Edmonton Oilers5 – 6Buffalo SabresFuhr15,1386–9–416
20November 15Los Angeles Kings2 – 2Edmonton OilersOTRanford16,6476–9–517
21November 17Buffalo Sabres0 – 3Edmonton OilersFuhr17,1677–9–519
22November 19Chicago Blackhawks4 – 5Edmonton OilersOTFuhr16,6758–9–521
23November 21Vancouver Canucks3 – 4Edmonton OilersRanford17,2289–9–523
24November 24Edmonton Oilers1 – 5Philadelphia FlyersRanford17,4239–10–523
25November 25Edmonton Oilers7 – 2New York IslandersFuhr13,20010–10–525
26November 27Edmonton Oilers6 – 2Detroit Red WingsFuhr19,87511–10–527
27November 30Edmonton Oilers7 – 6Los Angeles KingsFuhr16,00512–10–529 :
December: 9–2–2 (Home: 8–0–1; Road: 1–2–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
28December 2Minnesota North Stars1 – 6Edmonton OilersRanford17,21113–10–531
29December 3Toronto Maple Leafs3 – 5Edmonton OilersRanford16,32114–10–533
30December 8Los Angeles Kings4 – 5Edmonton OilersOTFuhr17,50315–10–535
31December 11Calgary Flames3 – 3Edmonton OilersOTFuhr16,64915–10–636
32December 13Quebec Nordiques1 – 5Edmonton OilersRanford16,21316–10–638
33December 16Edmonton Oilers3 – 3St. Louis BluesOTFuhr13,80716–10–739
34December 17Edmonton Oilers5 – 6Chicago BlackhawksRanford17,59116–11–739
35December 19Edmonton Oilers5 – 0Minnesota North StarsRanford10,72417–11–741
36December 21Winnipeg Jets2 – 3Edmonton OilersRanford16,52118–11–743
37December 23Calgary Flames1 – 2Edmonton OilersRanford17,50319–11–745
38December 27Philadelphia Flyers1 – 2Edmonton OilersRanford17,50320–11–747
39December 29Montreal Canadiens2 – 6Edmonton OilersRanford17,50321–11–749
40December 31Edmonton Oilers2 – 3Winnipeg JetsRanford13,43521–12–749 :
January: 5–5–3 (Home: 3–3–1; Road: 2–2–2)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
41January 2Edmonton Oilers6 – 4St. Louis BluesRanford14,53022–12–751
42January 3Edmonton Oilers2 – 3Chicago BlackhawksRanford17,61622–13–751
43January 6Hartford Whalers4 – 4Edmonton OilersOTRanford17,38522–13–852
44January 7Calgary Flames3 – 1Edmonton OilersRanford17,50322–14–852
45January 9Edmonton Oilers3 – 2Calgary FlamesOTRanford20,10723–14–854
46January 11Edmonton Oilers3 – 3Los Angeles KingsOTRanford16,00523–14–955
47January 16Detroit Red Wings6 – 4Edmonton OilersRanford17,19123–15–955
48January 17Winnipeg Jets3 – 6Edmonton OilersRanford16,66424–15–957
49January 23New York Rangers4 – 3Edmonton OilersRanford17,10124–16–957
50January 25Los Angeles Kings6 – 7Edmonton OilersRanford17,50325–16–959
51January 27Vancouver Canucks2 – 6Edmonton OilersRanford17,50326–16–961
52January 30Edmonton Oilers4 – 4Hartford WhalersOTRanford15,01326–16–1062
53January 31Edmonton Oilers5 – 7Detroit Red WingsRanford19,48326–17–1062 :
February: 5–6–2 (Home: 3–2–0; Road: 2–4–2)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
54February 2Edmonton Oilers3 – 6Pittsburgh PenguinsExelby16,23626–18–1062
55February 4Edmonton Oilers5 – 4Washington CapitalsOTRanford18,13027–18–1064
56February 6Edmonton Oilers2 – 2New Jersey DevilsOTReddick15,18527–18–1165
57February 7Edmonton Oilers2 – 5New York RangersReddick16,22727–19–1165
58February 11Winnipeg Jets4 – 7Edmonton OilersReddick17,22828–19–1167
59February 14Washington Capitals4 – 3Edmonton OilersReddick16,14528–20–1167
60February 16Edmonton Oilers2 – 2Vancouver CanucksOTReddick15,86228–20–1268
61February 18Minnesota North Stars2 – 3Edmonton OilersReddick17,50329–20–1270
62February 20Edmonton Oilers4 – 2Vancouver CanucksReddick15,55530–20–1272
63February 21Buffalo Sabres3 – 7Edmonton OilersReddick16,37431–20–1274
64February 23Toronto Maple Leafs6 – 5Edmonton OilersReddick17,50331–21–1274
65February 25Edmonton Oilers4 – 10Calgary FlamesReddick20,10731–22–1274
66February 28Edmonton Oilers2 – 4Los Angeles KingsRanford16,00531–23–1274 :
March: 6–5–2 (Home: 4–2–1; Road: 2–3–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
67March 3Philadelphia Flyers3 – 5Edmonton OilersFuhr17,50332–23–1276
68March 4Vancouver Canucks3 – 6Edmonton OilersRanford17,19733–23–1278
69March 6Pittsburgh Penguins3 – 4Edmonton OilersOTFuhr17,04234–23–1280
70March 9Edmonton Oilers5 – 7Winnipeg JetsFuhr15,56434–24–1280
71March 10Edmonton Oilers2 – 3Toronto Maple LeafsRanford16,38234–25–1280
72March 13Edmonton Oilers4 – 1Quebec NordiquesRanford15,17435–25–1282
73March 14Edmonton Oilers3 – 3Montreal CanadiensOTRanford17,91535–25–1383
74March 17New Jersey Devils4 – 1Edmonton OilersRanford17,50335–26–1383
75March 18Hartford Whalers3 – 1Edmonton OilersRanford17,12735–27–1383
76March 21St. Louis Blues6 – 8Edmonton OilersReddick17,33236–27–1385
77March 24New York Islanders5 – 5Edmonton OilersOTRanford17,50336–27–1486
78March 27Edmonton Oilers4 – 1Vancouver CanucksRanford14,96037–27–1488
79March 30Edmonton Oilers2 – 6Calgary FlamesFuhr20,10737–28–1488 :
April: 1–0–0 (Home: 0–0–0; Road: 1–0–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceRecordPointsRecap
80April 1Edmonton Oilers4 – 2Winnipeg JetsRanford15,50938–28–1490 :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

## Playoffs

1990 Stanley Cup Playoffs :
Smythe Division Semifinals - Oilers won series 4–3
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 4Winnipeg Jets7 – 5Edmonton OilersRanford16,4230–1
2April 6Winnipeg Jets2 – 3Edmonton OilersOTRanford17,4101–1
3April 8Edmonton Oilers1 – 2Winnipeg JetsRanford15,5471–2
4April 10Edmonton Oilers3 – 4Winnipeg Jets2OTRanford15,5721–3
5April 12Winnipeg Jets3 – 4Edmonton OilersRanford17,5032–3
6April 14Edmonton Oilers4 – 3Winnipeg JetsRanford15,5673–3
7April 16Winnipeg Jets1 – 4Edmonton OilersRanford17,5034–3 :
Smythe Division Finals - Oilers won series 4–0
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 18Los Angeles Kings0 – 7Edmonton OilersRanford16,7781–0
2April 20Los Angeles Kings1 – 6Edmonton OilersRanford17,5032–0
3April 22Edmonton Oilers5 – 4Los Angeles KingsRanford16,0053–0
4April 24Edmonton Oilers6 – 5Los Angeles KingsOTRanford16,0054–0 :
Campbell Conference Finals - Oilers won series 4–2
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1May 2Chicago Blackhawks2 – 5Edmonton OilersRanford17,2281–0
2May 4Chicago Blackhawks4 – 3Edmonton OilersRanford17,5031–1
3May 6Edmonton Oilers1 – 5Chicago BlackhawksRanford18,4721–2
4May 8Edmonton Oilers4 – 2Chicago BlackhawksRanford18,4722–2
5May 10Chicago Blackhawks3 – 4Edmonton OilersRanford17,5033–2
6May 12Edmonton Oilers8 – 4Chicago BlackhawksRanford18,4724–2 :
Stanley Cup Finals - Oilers won series 4–1
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1May 15Edmonton Oilers3 – 2Boston Bruins3OTRanford14,4481–0
2May 18Edmonton Oilers7 – 2Boston BruinsRanford14,4482–0
3May 20Boston Bruins2 – 1Edmonton OilersRanford17,5032–1
4May 22Boston Bruins1 – 5Edmonton OilersRanford17,5033–1
5May 24Edmonton Oilers4 – 1Boston BruinsRanford14,4484–1 :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Season stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Mark Messier | 79 | 45 | 84 | 129 | 79 |
| Jari Kurri | 78 | 33 | 60 | 93 | 48 |
| Glenn Anderson | 73 | 34 | 38 | 72 | 107 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 79 | 30 | 33 | 63 | 161 |
| Craig Simpson | 80 | 29 | 32 | 61 | 180 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | SO | Save % | GAA |
| Pokey Reddick | 11 | 604 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 31 | 0 | .890 | 3.08 |
| Bill Ranford | 56 | 3107 | 24 | 16 | 9 | 165 | 1 | .887 | 3.19 |
| Grant Fuhr | 21 | 1081 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 70 | 1 | .868 | 3.89 |
| Randy Exelby | 1 | 60 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .833 | 5.00 |
| Mike Greenlay | 2 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 12.00 |

## Playoff stats
### Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Craig Simpson | 22 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 8 |
| Mark Messier | 22 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 20 |
| Jari Kurri | 22 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 18 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 22 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 26 |
| Glenn Anderson | 22 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 20 |

### Goaltending

| Player | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | Save % | GAA |
| Pokey Reddick | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| Bill Ranford | 22 | 1401 | 16 | 6 | 59 | 1 | .912 | 2.53 |

## Awards and records
### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Geoff Smith | 1st NHL Game | October 5, 1989 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 400th NHL PIM | October 5, 1989 |
| Peter Eriksson | 1st NHL Game 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point | October 11, 1989 |
| Francois Leroux | 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | October 11, 1989 |
| Trevor Sim | 1st NHL Game 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | October 18, 1989 |
| Craig Simpson | 300th NHL Game | October 18, 1989 |
| Geoff Smith | 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point | October 18, 1989 |
| Geoff Smith | 1st NHL Assist | October 24, 1989 |
| Peter Eriksson | 1st NHL Assist | October 29, 1989 |
| Kevin McClelland | 500th NHL Game | November 1, 1989 |
| Dave Brown | 1,100th NHL PIM | November 6, 1989 |
| Kelly Buchberger | 100th NHL Game | November 6, 1989 |
| Craig Simpson | 300th NHL PIM | November 11, 1989 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 100th NHL Goal | November 11, 1989 |
| Glenn Anderson | 700th NHL Game | November 12, 1989 |
| Petr Klima | 300th NHL Game | November 15, 1989 |
| Petr Klima | 100th NHL Assist | November 17, 1989 |
| Steve Smith | 100th NHL Assist | November 19, 1989 |
| Mark Messier | 11th NHL Hat-trick | November 21, 1989 |
| Joe Murphy | 100th NHL Game | November 21, 1989 |
| Grant Fuhr | 400th NHL Game | November 24, 1989 |
| Jari Kurri | 700th NHL Game | November 25, 1989 |
| Normand Lacombe | ??? NHL Hat-trick | November 25, 1989 |
| Glenn Anderson | 20th NHL Hat-trick | December 2, 1989 |
| Charlie Huddy | 600th NHL Game | December 3, 1989 |
| Adam Graves | 100th NHL PIM | December 8, 1989 |
| Glenn Anderson | 800th NHL Point | December 11, 1989 |
| Adam Graves | 1st NHL Hat-trick | December 17, 1989 |
| Bill Ranford | 100th NHL Game | December 17, 1989 |
| Adam Graves | 100th NHL Game | December 19, 1989 |
| Kelly Buchberger | 400th NHL PIM | December 27, 1989 |
| Mark Messier | 900th NHL Point | December 29, 1989 |
| Jari Kurri | 1,000th NHL Point | January 2, 1990 |
| Kevin Lowe | 800th NHL Game | January 3, 1990 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 300th NHL Game | January 6, 1990 |
| Mark Messier | 12th NHL Hat-trick | January 17, 1990 |
| Vladimir Ruzicka | 1st NHL Game | January 17, 1990 |
| Steve Smith | 800th NHL PIM | January 17, 1990 |
| Kevin Lowe | 900th NHL PIM | January 23, 1990 |
| Vladimir Ruzicka | 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | January 25, 1990 |
| Joe Murphy | 100th NHL PIM | February 2, 1990 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 500th NHL PIM | February 2, 1990 |
| Mike Greenlay | 1st NHL Game | February 25, 1990 |
| Craig Muni | 300th NHL PIM | February 28, 1990 |
| Craig Simpson | 400th NHL PIM | February 28, 1990 |
| Jeff Beukeboom | 500th NHL PIM | March 3, 1990 |
| Petr Klima | 200th NHL PIM | March 3, 1990 |
| Mark Messier | 3rd Four-Goal NHL Game 13th NHL Hat-trick | March 3, 1990 |
| Glenn Anderson | 700th NHL PIM | March 4, 1990 |
| Martin Gelinas | 1st NHL Hat-trick | March 4, 1990 |
| Craig Simpson | ??? NHL Gordie Howe hat trick | March 4, 1990 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 300th NHL Point | March 4, 1990 |
| Dave Brown | 1,200th NHL PIM | March 9, 1990 |
| Adam Graves | 200th NHL PIM | March 9, 1990 |
| Craig MacTavish | 600th NHL Game | March 9, 1990 |
| Craig Muni | 300th NHL Game | March 9, 1990 |
| Steve Smith | 300th NHL Game | March 13, 1990 |
| Craig Simpson | 300th NHL Point | March 14, 1990 |
| Randy Gregg | 300th NHL PIM | March 21, 1990 |
| Mark Lamb | 100th NHL Game | March 21, 1990 |
Playoffs :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Martin Gelinas | 1st NHL Game | April 4, 1990 |
| Kelly Buchberger | 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | April 6, 1990 |
| Charlie Huddy | 100th NHL Game | April 6, 1990 |
| Mark Lamb | 1st NHL Goal | April 6, 1990 |
| Joe Murphy | 1st NHL Goal | April 6, 1990 |
| Craig MacTavish | 100th NHL PIM | April 6, 1990 |
| Bill Ranford | 1st NHL Win | April 6, 1990 |
| Geoff Smith | 1st NHL Game | April 8, 1990 |
| Steve Smith | 50th NHL Game | April 8, 1990 |
| Bill Ranford | 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | April 10, 1990 |
| Jari Kurri | 100th NHL Assist | April 12, 1990 |
| Esa Tikkanen | 50th NHL Point | April 12, 1990 |
| Glenn Anderson | 150th NHL Point | April 16, 1990 |
| Martin Gelinas | 1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | April 18, 1990 |
| Adam Graves | 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point | April 18, 1990 |
| Charlie Huddy | 50th NHL Assist | April 18, 1990 |
| Bill Ranford | 1st NHL Shutout | April 18, 1990 |
| Randy Gregg | 50th NHL Point | April 20, 1990 |
| Steve Smith | 150th NHL PIM | April 20, 1990 |
| Adam Graves | 1st NHL Goal | April 22, 1990 |
| Craig Muni | 50th NHL Game | April 22, 1990 |
| Craig MacTavish | 100th NHL Game | May 8, 1990 |
| Anatoli Semenov | 1st NHL Game | May 8, 1990 |
| Mark Messier | 150th NHL PIM | May 12, 1990 |
| Jari Kurri | 7th NHL Hat-trick 200th NHL Point | May 18, 1990 |
| Petr Klima | 50th NHL Game | May 20, 1990 |
| Jari Kurri | 100th NHL PIM | May 20, 1990 |
| Craig Simpson | 50th NHL Point | May 22, 1990 |
| Mark Messier | 200th NHL Point | May 24, 1990 |

## Transactions
### Trades

| June 17, 1989 | To Boston Bruins3rd round pick in 1989 | To Edmonton OilersTommy Lehman |
| June 17, 1989 | To New Jersey Devils1st round pick in 1989 | To Edmonton OilersCorey Foster |
| September 28, 1989 | To Winnipeg JetsFuture considerations | To Edmonton OilersPokey Reddick |
| October 2, 1989 | To Montreal CanadiensCash | To Edmonton OilersRandy Exelby |
| October 10, 1989 | To Hartford WhalersJim Ennis | To Edmonton OilersNorm Maciver |
| November 2, 1989 | To Detroit Red WingsKevin McClelland Jimmy Carson 5th round pick in 1991 | To Edmonton OilersPetr Klima Jeff Sharples Joe Murphy Adam Graves |
| December 21, 1989 | To Toronto Maple Leafs4th round pick in 1990 | To Edmonton OilersVladimir Ruzicka |
| January 5, 1990 | To Philadelphia FlyersNormand Lacombe | To Edmonton Oilers4th round pick in 1990 |
| January 19, 1990 | To New York RangersTodd Charlesworth | To Edmonton OilersDenis Larocque |
| March 6, 1990 | To New Jersey DevilsJeff Sharples | To Edmonton OilersReijo Ruotsalainen |
| March 6, 1990 | To Hartford WhalersCam Brauer | To Edmonton OilersMarc Laforge |
| March 6, 1990 | To Pittsburgh PenguinsBrian Wilks | To Edmonton OilersFuture considerations |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team |
| June 21, 1989 (1989-06-21) | Todd Charlesworth | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| February 1, 1990 (1990-02-01) | Bruce Bell | Detroit Red Wings |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team |
| June 20, 1989 (1989-06-20) | Clark Donatelli | Minnesota North Stars |
| July 11, 1989 (1989-07-11) | Gary Emmons | Minnesota North Stars |
| October 9, 1989 (1989-10-09) | Daryl Reaugh | Hartford Whalers |
| October 30, 1989 (1989-10-30) | Nick Fotiu | New Haven Nighthawks (AHL) |
| February 7, 1990 (1990-02-07) | Len Barrie | Philadelphia Flyers |

### Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 1989 NHL Entry Draft
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 15 | Jason Soules | Canada | Niagara Falls Thunder (OHL) |
| 2 | 36 | Richard Borgo | Canada | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) |
| 4 | 78 | Josef Beranek | Czechoslovakia | Chemopetrol Litvinov (CSSR) |
| 5 | 92 | Peter White | Canada | Michigan State University (NCAA) |
| 6 | 120 | Anatoli Semenov | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow (USSR) |
| 7 | 140 | Davis Payne | Canada | Michigan Tech (NCAA) |
| 7 | 141 | Sergei Yashin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow (USSR) |
| 8 | 162 | Darcy Martini | Canada | Michigan Tech (NCAA) |
| 11 | 225 | Roman Bozek | Czechoslovakia | HC České Budějovice (CSSR) |
| S | 20 | Dave Aiken | United States | University of New Hampshire (Hockey East) |