1997–98 Edmonton Oilers season

The 1997–98 Edmonton Oilers season was the Oilers' 19th season in the NHL, and they were coming off a 36–37–9 record in 1996–97, earning their first Stanley Cup playoff spot in five seasons. The Oilers then defeated the heavily favoured Colorado Avalanche before losing to the Dallas Stars in the second round.

1997–98 Edmonton Oilers
Division	3rd Pacific
Conference	7th Western
1997–98 record	35–37–10
Home record	20–16–5
Road record	15–21–5
Goals for	215
Goals against	224
Team information
General manager	Glen Sather
Coach	Ron Low
Captain	Kelly Buchberger
Alternate captains	Boris Mironov Doug Weight
Arena	Edmonton Coliseum
Average attendance	16,245 (95.0%)
Minor league affiliates	Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) New Orleans Brass (ECHL)
Team leaders
Goals	Doug Weight (26)
Assists	Doug Weight (44)
Points	Doug Weight (70)
Penalty minutes	Drake Berehowsky (169)
Plus/minus	Todd Marchant (+9) Dean McAmmond (+9)
Wins	Curtis Joseph (29)
Goals against average	Curtis Joseph (2.63)

Edmonton began the season slowly, and on January 4, with a record of 11–22–9, the Oilers traded Jason Arnott and Bryan Muir to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Bill Guerin and Valeri Zelepukin. The trade seemed to spark Edmonton, as they finished the year 24–15–1, making the playoffs for the second-straight season after finishing in seventh place in the Western Conference.

Offensively, Doug Weight had another solid season, leading the Oilers in goals (26), assists (44) and points (70). Ryan Smyth was the only other player to score at least 20 goals for the team. Dean McAmmond had a breakout season, finishing second to Weight with 50 points, as well as third in goals, with 19. Bill Guerin had a solid half season in Edmonton, scoring 13 goals and 29 points in 40 games. Boris Mironov would lead the defence with 16 goals and 46 points, while Drake Berehowsky would lead the team with 169 penalty minutes.

In goal, Curtis Joseph got the majority of playing time, winning 29 games, posting a goals against average (GAA) of 2.63 and setting the club record with shutouts in a season at eight. Bob Essensa backed him up once again, contributing a solid GAA of 2.55 and winning six games. The Oilers also tied the Dallas Stars for most power-play goals scored (77) and finished with the most power-play opportunities (483) in the League.

On March 2, 1998, Scott Fraser scored just 11 seconds into the overtime period to give the Oilers a 5-4 road win over the Colorado Avalanche. It would prove to be the fastest overtime goal scored during the 1997–98 regular season.

The Oilers opened the playoffs against the Pacific Division-winning Colorado Avalanche, who eliminated Edmonton from the playoffs the previous spring, and finished with 15 more points during the regular season. The Oilers, however, surprised the Avalanche in the opening game, winning 3–2, but Colorado stormed back to win three in a row to go up 3–1 in the series. The Oilers held off the Avalanche in Game 5 with a 3–1 in Denver, then returned home for game 6 to shut-out Colorado 2–0, forcing a deciding Game 7. Curtis Joseph earned his second-straight shutout in the series, as Edmonton won 4–0 and the series 4–3, eliminating the heavily favoured Avalanche.

In the second round, Edmonton played against Dallas, whom the Oilers defeated the previous year in the opening round. The Stars finished with an NHL-best 109 points in the regular season. The Stars beat Edmonton in the first game, but Curtis Joseph shut-out Dallas in Game 2, evening the series as it returned to Edmonton for the next two games. The third game was scoreless in regulation time, though the Stars scored in the first overtime period to take a 2–1 series lead. The Oilers' offence then went dry as they scored only two goals in the next two games, losing both, and the series 4–1.

Season standings

Pacific Division

No.	CR		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	2	Colorado Avalanche	82	39	26	17	231	205	95
2	5	Los Angeles Kings	82	38	33	11	227	225	87
3	7	Edmonton Oilers	82	35	37	10	215	224	80
4	8	San Jose Sharks	82	34	38	10	210	216	78
5	11	Calgary Flames	82	26	41	15	217	252	67
6	12	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	82	26	43	13	205	261	65
7	13	Vancouver Canucks	82	25	43	14	224	273	64

Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.

Western Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
1	p – Dallas Stars	CEN	82	49	22	11	242	167	109
2	x – Colorado Avalanche	PAC	82	39	26	17	231	205	95
3	Detroit Red Wings	CEN	82	44	23	15	250	196	103
4	St. Louis Blues	CEN	82	45	29	8	256	204	98
5	Los Angeles Kings	PAC	82	38	33	11	227	225	87
6	Phoenix Coyotes	CEN	82	35	35	12	224	227	82
7	Edmonton Oilers	PAC	82	35	37	10	215	224	80
8	San Jose Sharks	PAC	82	34	38	10	210	216	78
9	Chicago Blackhawks	CEN	82	30	39	13	192	199	73
10	Toronto Maple Leafs	CEN	82	30	43	9	194	237	69
11	Calgary Flames	PAC	82	26	41	15	217	252	67
12	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	PAC	82	26	43	13	205	261	65
13	Vancouver Canucks	PAC	82	25	43	14	224	273	64

Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific

bold – Qualified for playoffs; x – Won Division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy

Schedule and results

Regular season

1997–98 regular season
October: 5–6–1 (home: 3–4–1; road: 2–2–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 1 Edmonton Oilers 5 – 3 San Jose Sharks Joseph 16,769 1–0–0 2 W 2 October 3 Detroit Red Wings 8 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 1–1–0 2 L 3 October 5 Colorado Avalanche 3 – 0 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,093 1–2–0 2 L 4 October 8 New York Rangers 3 – 3 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 16,573 1–2–1 3 T 5 October 11 Toronto Maple Leafs 1 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 2–2–1 5 W 6 October 13 Edmonton Oilers 0 – 3 Vancouver Canucks Essensa 14,535 2–3–1 5 L 7 October 15 Colorado Avalanche 6 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 15,972 2–4–1 5 L 8 October 17 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 2 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Essensa 16,565 2–5–1 5 L 9 October 19 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 2 Los Angeles Kings OT Joseph 11,279 3–5–1 7 W 10 October 21 Boston Bruins 2 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,870 3–6–1 7 L 11 October 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 3 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 4–6–1 9 W 12 October 29 Phoenix Coyotes 2 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,390 5–6–1 11 W
November: 3–7–5 (home: 1–2–2; road: 2–5–3) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 13 November 1 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 3 Boston Bruins Joseph 13,969 5–7–1 11 L 14 November 3 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 2 New York Rangers OT Joseph 18,200 5–7–2 12 T 15 November 5 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 4 New York Islanders OT Joseph 9,036 5–7–3 13 T 16 November 6 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 6 Philadelphia Flyers Essensa 19,348 5–8–3 13 L 17 November 8 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 2 Washington Capitals Joseph 10,397 5–9–3 13 L 18 November 10 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 4 Buffalo Sabres OT Joseph 13,628 5–9–4 14 T 19 November 12 Carolina Hurricanes 6 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,240 5–10–4 14 L 20 November 15 Calgary Flames 2 – 2 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 17,099 5–10–5 15 T 21 November 17 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 6 Phoenix Coyotes Joseph 14,686 5–11–5 15 L 22 November 19 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 3 Dallas Stars Joseph 15,783 5–12–5 15 L 23 November 20 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 0 St. Louis Blues Joseph 15,988 6–12–5 17 W 24 November 22 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 0 Ottawa Senators Joseph 17,113 7–12–5 19 W 25 November 25 Chicago Blackhawks 2 – 2 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 14,473 7–12–6 20 T 26 November 28 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 3 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 7–13–6 20 L 27 November 30 San Jose Sharks 1 – 6 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,739 8–13–6 22 W
December: 3–7–3 (home: 1–3–1; road: 2–4–2) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 28 December 2 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 4 Colorado Avalanche Joseph 16,061 8–14–6 22 L 29 December 3 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 4 Dallas Stars Joseph 14,241 8–15–6 22 L 30 December 5 Detroit Red Wings 1 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Essensa 17,099 9–15–6 24 W 31 December 7 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 3 Chicago Blackhawks OT Joseph 15,591 9–15–7 25 T 32 December 10 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 4 New Jersey Devils Joseph 13,831 9–16–7 25 L 33 December 12 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 2 Detroit Red Wings Essensa 19,983 10–16–7 27 W 34 December 13 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 1 St. Louis Blues Joseph 17,207 11–16–7 29 W 35 December 17 Chicago Blackhawks 0 – 0 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 15,431 11–16–8 30 T 36 December 20 Dallas Stars 2 – 1 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 17,099 11–17–8 30 L 37 December 22 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 3 Montreal Canadiens OT Essensa 20,731 11–17–9 31 T 38 December 23 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 5 Toronto Maple Leafs Joseph 15,726 11–18–9 31 L 39 December 27 Colorado Avalanche 5 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 11–19–9 31 L 40 December 30 Philadelphia Flyers 3 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 11–20–9 31 L
January: 8–5–0 (home: 5–3–0; road: 3–2–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 41 January 2 Montreal Canadiens 5 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 11–21–9 31 L 42 January 4 Los Angeles Kings 3 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,266 11–22–9 31 L 43 January 7 Florida Panthers 2 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,797 12–22–9 33 W 44 January 9 Edmonton Oilers 5 – 1 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Joseph 17,174 13–22–9 35 W 45 January 10 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 3 Los Angeles Kings Joseph 16,005 14–22–9 37 W 46 January 12 St. Louis Blues 1 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,872 15–22–9 39 W 47 January 14 Calgary Flames 2 – 5 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 16–22–9 41 W 48 January 20 Phoenix Coyotes 2 – 6 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,842 17–22–9 43 W 49 January 23 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 3 San Jose Sharks Joseph 17,483 17–23–9 43 L 50 January 24 Edmonton Oilers 5 – 2 Phoenix Coyotes Essensa 15,826 18–23–9 45 W 51 January 26 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 2 Colorado Avalanche OT Joseph 16,061 18–24–9 45 L 52 January 28 New Jersey Devils 1 – 1 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 17,099 18–24–10 46 T 53 January 31 Vancouver Canucks 6 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 18–25–10 46 L
February: 3–4–0 (home: 3–2–0; road: 0–2–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 54 February 2 Los Angeles Kings 0 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,403 19–25–10 48 W 55 February 4 San Jose Sharks 3 – 0 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 15,251 19–26–10 48 L 56 February 6 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 5 Vancouver Canucks Joseph 17,421 19–27–10 48 L 57 February 7 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 4 Calgary Flames Essensa 18,719 19–28–10 48 L 58 February 25 Ottawa Senators 2 – 5 Edmonton Oilers Essensa 16,142 20–28–10 50 W 59 February 27 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4 – 0 Edmonton Oilers Essensa 17,099 20–29–10 50 L 60 February 28 San Jose Sharks 1 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 21–29–10 52 W
March: 8–6–0 (home: 4–2–0; road: 4–4–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 61 March 2 Edmonton Oilers 5 – 4 Colorado Avalanche OT Essensa 16,061 22–29–10 54 W 62 March 4 Tampa Bay Lightning 2 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 14,640 23–29–10 56 W 63 March 7 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 4 Toronto Maple Leafs Joseph 15,726 23–30–10 56 L 64 March 9 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 3 Chicago Blackhawks OT Joseph 17,900 24–30–10 58 W 65 March 11 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 0 Tampa Bay Lightning Joseph 15,319 25–30–10 60 W 66 March 13 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 0 Florida Panthers Joseph 14,703 26–30–10 62 W 67 March 15 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 4 Carolina Hurricanes Joseph 7,853 26–31–10 62 L 68 March 17 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 4 Detroit Red Wings Essensa 19,983 26–32–10 62 L 69 March 18 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 4 Pittsburgh Penguins Joseph 14,327 26–33–10 62 L 70 March 21 St. Louis Blues 0 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 27–33–10 64 W 71 March 22 New York Islanders 3 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 16,731 27–34–10 64 L 72 March 25 Washington Capitals 2 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 15,130 28–34–10 66 W 73 March 27 Buffalo Sabres 1 – 0 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 28–35–10 66 L 74 March 30 Calgary Flames 1 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 29–35–10 68 W
April: 6–2–0 (home: 4–0–0; road: 2–2–0) Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 75 April 1 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 4 Vancouver Canucks Joseph 15,662 29–36–10 68 L 76 April 3 Dallas Stars 1 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 30–36–10 70 W 77 April 6 Vancouver Canucks 2 – 3 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 31–36–10 72 W 78 April 8 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Joseph 17,174 31–37–10 72 L 79 April 9 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 0 Los Angeles Kings Joseph 14,450 32–37–10 74 W 80 April 11 Edmonton Oilers 5 – 4 Calgary Flames Joseph 18,719 33–37–10 76 W 81 April 15 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 3 – 5 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 34–37–10 78 W 82 April 18 Toronto Maple Leafs 3 – 4 Edmonton Oilers Essensa 17,099 35–37–10 80 W
Legend: W Win (2 points) L Loss (0 points) T Tie (1 point)

Playoffs

1998 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. (2) Colorado Avalanche – Oilers win 4–3 Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 22 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 2 Colorado Avalanche Joseph 16,061 1–0 W 2 April 24 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 5 Colorado Avalanche Joseph 16,061 1–1 L 3 April 26 Colorado Avalanche 5 – 4 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 17,099 1–2 L 4 April 28 Colorado Avalanche 3 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 1–3 L 5 April 30 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 1 Colorado Avalanche Joseph 16,061 2–3 W 6 May 2 Colorado Avalanche 0 – 2 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 3–3 W 7 May 4 Edmonton Oilers 4 – 0 Colorado Avalanche Joseph 16,061 4–3 W
Western Conference Semifinals vs. (1) Dallas Stars – Stars win 4–1 Game Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 May 7 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 3 Dallas Stars Joseph 16,928 0–1 L 2 May 9 Edmonton Oilers 2 – 0 Dallas Stars Joseph 16,928 1–1 W 3 May 11 Dallas Stars 1 – 0 Edmonton Oilers OT Joseph 17,099 1–2 L 4 May 13 Dallas Stars 3 – 1 Edmonton Oilers Joseph 17,099 1–3 L 5 May 16 Edmonton Oilers 1 – 2 Dallas Stars Joseph 16,928 1–4 L
Legend: W Win L Loss

Player statistics

Scoring

• Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
• † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.
• ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Oilers only.

No.	Player	Pos	Regular season						Playoffs
			GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
39	Doug Weight	C	79	26	44	70	1	69	12	2	7	9	−4	14
37	Dean McAmmond	LW	77	19	31	50	9	46	12	1	4	5	0	12
2	Boris Mironov	D	81	16	30	46	−8	100	12	3	3	6	−3	27
26	Todd Marchant	LW	76	14	21	35	9	71	12	1	1	2	0	10
94	Ryan Smyth	LW	65	20	13	33	−24	44	12	1	3	4	−2	16
9	Bill Guerin†	RW	40	13	16	29	1	80	12	7	1	8	−6	17
14	Mats Lindgren	C	82	13	13	26	0	42	12	1	1	2	0	10
22	Roman Hamrlik†	D	41	6	20	26	3	48	12	0	6	6	−4	12
33	Dan McGillis‡	D	67	10	15	25	−17	74	—	—	—	—	—	—
18	Scott Fraser	RW	29	12	11	23	6	6	11	1	1	2	0	0
16	Kelly Buchberger	RW	82	6	17	23	−10	122	12	1	2	3	0	25
51	Andrei Kovalenko	RW	59	6	17	23	−14	28	1	0	0	0	0	2
20	Tony Hrkac†	C	36	8	11	19	3	10	12	0	3	3	2	2
17	Rem Murray	C	61	9	9	18	−9	39	11	1	4	5	−1	2
7	Jason Arnott‡	RW	35	5	13	18	−16	78	—	—	—	—	—	—
25	Mike Grier	RW	66	9	6	15	−3	73	12	2	2	4	4	13
21	Valeri Zelepukin†	LW	33	2	10	12	−2	57	8	1	2	3	3	2
5	Greg de Vries	D	65	7	4	11	−17	80	7	0	0	0	−4	21
24	Janne Niinimaa†	D	11	1	8	9	7	6	11	1	1	2	3	12
6	Bobby Dollas†	D	30	2	5	7	6	22	11	0	0	0	2	16
15	Drake Berehowsky	D	67	1	6	7	1	169	12	1	2	3	1	14
19	Boyd Devereaux	C	38	1	4	5	−5	6	—	—	—	—	—	—
32	Craig Millar	D	11	4	0	4	−3	8	—	—	—	—	—	—
12	Joe Hulbig	LW	17	2	2	4	−1	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
8	Ray Whitney‡	LW	9	1	3	4	−1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
24	Bryan Marchment‡	D	27	0	4	4	−2	58	—	—	—	—	—	—
8	Frank Musil†	D	17	1	2	3	1	8	7	0	0	0	1	6
9	Mike Watt	C	14	1	2	3	−4	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
55	Drew Bannister‡	D	34	0	2	2	−7	42	—	—	—	—	—	—
31	Curtis Joseph	G	71	0	2	2		4	12	0	0	0		2
10	Steve Kelly‡	C	19	0	2	2	−4	8	—	—	—	—	—	—
23	Sean Brown	D	18	0	1	1	−1	43	—	—	—	—	—	—
28	Bill Huard	LW	30	0	1	1	−5	72	4	0	0	0	0	2
21	Ladislav Benysek	D	2	0	0	0	−2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
36	Dennis Bonvie	RW	4	0	0	0	0	27	—	—	—	—	—	—
29	Jason Bowen†	D	4	0	0	0	0	10	—	—	—	—	—	—
30	Bob Essensa	G	16	0	0	0		0	1	0	0	0		0
40	Scott Ferguson‡	D	1	0	0	0	1	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
8	Doug Friedman	LW	16	0	0	0	0	20	—	—	—	—	—	—
27	Georges Laraque	RW	11	0	0	0	−4	59	—	—	—	—	—	—
4	Kevin Lowe	D	7	0	0	0	−3	22	1	0	0	0	0	4
6	Bryan Muir‡	D	7	0	0	0	0	17	—	—	—	—	—	—
38	Terran Sandwith	D	8	0	0	0	−4	6	—	—	—	—	—	—

Goaltending

No.	Player	Regular season										Playoffs
		GP	W	L	T	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
31	Curtis Joseph	71	29	31	9	1901	181	2.63	.905	8	4132	12	5	7	319	23	1.93	.928	3	716
30	Bob Essensa	16	6	6	1	404	35	2.54	.913	0	825	1	0	0	11	1	2.26	.909	0	27

Awards and records

Awards

Type	Award/honour	Recipient	Ref
League (in-season)	NHL All-Star Game selection	Doug Weight
	NHL Rookie of the Month	Scott Fraser (March)
		Scott Fraser (April)
Team	Community Service Award	Todd Marchant
	Defenceman of the Year	Boris Mironov
	Molson Cup	Curtis Joseph
	Most Popular Player	Curtis Joseph
	Top Defensive Forward	Mats Lindgren
	Top First Year Oiler	Roman Hamrlik
	Unsung Hero	Dean McAmmond
	Zane Feldman Trophy	Doug Weight

Records

• 14: An Oilers record for most shutouts in a career by Curtis Joseph.

• 10: A new Oilers record for most shutouts in a career by Curtis Joseph on February 2, 1998.

Milestones

Regular Season
Player	Milestone	Reached
Todd Marchant	100th NHL Point	October 1, 1997
Boyd Devereaux	1st NHL Game	October 5, 1997
Bryan Marchment	1,300th NHL PIM	October 11, 1997
Jason Bowen	100th NHL PIM	October 21, 1997
Steve Kelly	1st NHL Assist	October 24, 1997
Drake Berehowsky	200th NHL PIM	October 29, 1997
Boyd Devereaux	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	November 3, 1997
Craig Millar	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	November 5, 1997
Curtis Joseph	400th NHL Game	November 8, 1997
Ladislav Benysek	1st NHL Game	November 15, 1997
Georges Laraque
Mike Watt	1st NHL Game 1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point
Sean Brown	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	November 17, 1997
Joe Hulbig
Mike Grier	100th NHL Game	November 19, 1997
Bill Huard	200th NHL Game
Mike Watt	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	November 22, 1997
Doug Friedman	1st NHL Game	November 25, 1997
Doug Weight	400th NHL Point	November 28, 1997
Jason Arnott	100th NHL Goal	November 30, 1997
Greg de Vries	100th NHL PIM	December 2, 1997
Dean McAmmond	100th NHL Point	December 3, 1997
Joe Hulbig	1st NHL Goal	December 5, 1997
Dan McGillis	100th NHL Game
Rem Murray
Mats Lindgren	100th NHL Game	December 7, 1997
Doug Weight	300th NHL Assist	December 10, 1997
Kelly Buchberger	1,600th NHL PIM	December 20, 1997
Bryan Marchment	100th NHL Point
Kelly Buchberger	700th NHL Game	December 27, 1997
Dean McAmmond	200th NHL Game
Doug Weight	400th NHL PIM
Boyd Devereaux	1st NHL Goal	January 20, 1998
Dan McGillis	100th NHL PIM	January 23, 1998
Greg de Vries	100th NHL Game	January 31, 1998
Curtis Joseph	200th NHL Win	February 2, 1998
Terran Sandwith	1st NHL Game
Boris Mironov	100th NHL Assist	February 6, 1998
Roman Hamrlik	200th NHL Point	February 25, 1998
Boris Mironov	400th NHL PIM 300th NHL Game	February 27, 1998
Bill Guerin	500th NHL PIM	February 28, 1998
Scott Ferguson	1st NHL Game	March 4, 1998
Bill Guerin	400th NHL Game
Drake Berehowsky	300th NHL PIM	March 7, 1998
Mike Grier	100th NHL PIM
Roman Hamrlik	400th NHL Game
Valeri Zelepukin	400th NHL PIM
Scott Fraser	1st NHL Assist	March 9, 1998
Roman Hamrlik	500th NHL PIM	March 13, 1998
Dean McAmmond	100th NHL PIM	March 15, 1998
Valeri Zelepukin	400th NHL Game
Frank Musil	100th NHL Assist	March 18, 1998
Todd Marchant	200th NHL PIM	March 25, 1998
Ryan Smyth	100th NHL Point	April 1, 1998
Bobby Dollas	500th NHL Game	April 3, 1998
Doug Weight	500th NHL Game	April 8, 1998
Frank Musil	1,200th NHL PIM	April 11, 1998

Playoffs
Player	Milestone	Reached
Drake Berehowsky	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	April 22, 1998
Dean McAmmond	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point
Scott Fraser	1st NHL Game
Kelly Buchberger	100th NHL PIM	April 24, 1998
Curtis Joseph	50th NHL Game	April 28, 1998
Drake Berehowsky	1st NHL Goal	May 2, 1998
Bill Guerin	100th NHL PIM
Curtis Joseph	5th NHL Shutout
Dean McAmmond	1st NHL Assist
Mats Lindgren	1st NHL Goal	May 4, 1998
Scott Fraser	1st NHL Goal 1st NHL Point	May 13, 1998
Scott Fraser	1st NHL Assist	May 16, 1998

Transactions

Trades

June 18, 1997	To Philadelphia Flyers Matt Cerven	To Edmonton Oilers 7th round pick in 1997
July 16, 1997	To Tampa Bay Lightning Vladimir Vujtek 3rd round pick in 1998	To Edmonton Oilers Brantt Myhres 3rd round pick in 1998
August 12, 1997	To Pittsburgh Penguins Jiri Slegr	To Edmonton Oilers 3rd round pick in 1998
August 25, 1997	To New York Islanders Mariusz Czerkawski	To Edmonton Oilers Dan LaCouture
October 15, 1997	To Philadelphia Flyers Brantt Myhres	To Edmonton Oilers Jason Bowen
December 30, 1997	To Tampa Bay Lightning Bryan Marchment Steve Kelly Jason Bonsignore	To Edmonton Oilers Roman Hamrlik Paul Comrie
January 4, 1998	To New Jersey Devils Jason Arnott Bryan Muir	To Edmonton Oilers Bill Guerin Valeri Zelepukin
January 9, 1998	To Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Drew Bannister	To Edmonton Oilers Bobby Dollas
March 9, 1998	To Ottawa Senators Scott Ferguson	To Edmonton Oilers Frank Musil
March 24, 1998	To Philadelphia Flyers Dan McGillis 2nd round pick in 1998	To Edmonton Oilers Janne Niinimaa

Free agents

Player Former team F Doug Friedman Colorado Avalanche F Bill Huard Dallas Stars F Scott Fraser Calgary Flames G Jean-Francois Labbe Colorado Avalanche D Drake Berehowsky Pittsburgh Penguins F Ray Whitney San Jose Sharks G Tim Thomas HIFK Helsinki (SM-liiga)

Player New team D Luke Richardson Philadelphia Flyers D Donald Dufresne Quebec Rafales (IHL) F Ralph Intranuovo Manitoba Moose (IHL) F Louie DeBrusk Tampa Bay Lightning

Draft picks

Edmonton's draft picks at the 1997 NHL entry draft.

Round	#	Player	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	14	Michel Riesen	Switzerland	EHC Biel (Switzerland)
2	41	Patrick Dovigi	Canada	Erie Otters (OHL)
3	68	Sergei Yerkovich	Belarus	Las Vegas Thunder (IHL)
4	94	Jonas Elofsson	Sweden	Farjestad BK (Sweden)
5	121	Jason Chimera	Canada	Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
6	141	Peter Sarno	Canada	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
7	176	Kevin Bolibruck	Canada	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
7	187	Chad Hinz	Canada	Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
8	205	Chris Kerr	Canada	Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
9	231	Alexander Fomichev	Russia	St. Albert Saints (AJHL)

References

• "Edmonton Oilers 1997-98 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
• "1997-98 Edmonton Oilers Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
• National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007