The Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights made NHL history during their Tuesday, December 3, 2024 game at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Vegas won the game 1-0. That is not an unusual score, but how the score was achieved is what is history making.
First NHL Game Since 1944 With No Penalties
Jack Michaels, Edmonton’s play-by-play announcer pointed out that it is the first game since 1944 with no penalties and one goal or fewer scored.
That may not be happy news for the Oilers who snapped a three-game winning streak with the unusual loss. The Oilers also led in key statistical areas including shots (28), hits (12), faceoffs won (30), and takeaways (8).
Who Played In The 1944 Game?
On February 20, 1944, the Chicago Blackhawks and Toronto Maple Leafs skated to a 0-0 finish with no power plays. 18,534 spectators witnessed this epic NHL historic event at Chicago Stadium.
The goalies were Mike Karakas for the Blackhawks and Paul Bibeault for the Maple Leafs.
On this day in 1944, a record crowd of 18,534 watched the Maple Leafs and Black Hawks dueled to the first and only scoreless, penalty-free game in NHL history #Leafs365 #Blackhawks #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/jSS8ByhudO
— Mike Commito (@mikecommito) February 20, 2023
The Blackhawks carried that momentum to the 1944 Stanley Cup finals but lost to the Montreal Canadiens in a clean sweep.
What It Means For The Oilers And Golden Knights
In 2024-2025, Vegas averages 2.46 penalties per game, and Edmonton 3 so it meant fewer opportunities to take advantage of the uneven playing field to score a goal.
Truthfully, NHL history buffs will find it intriguing that this hasn’t happened for 80 years, but Vegas and Edmonton probably are not giving it much thought. Each team played clean penalty-free hockey.
It proved to be a great defensive matchup; however, Edmonton is likely disappointed to be on the losing end of such a close game.
