It’s like they always say — the 10th time is a charm.

OK, they don’t always say that, exactly. A week ago they were saying ninth time is a charm, And three weeks ago it was eighth time is a charm.

They’ve been updating that idiom since October and there is still no charm to be found yet. But, after nine failed attempts to win three games in a row, the Edmonton Oilers are once again on the threshold of that elusive, and wholly unremarkable, milestone.

Not being able to string together three wins in a row in 54 games is a truly bizarre quirk for a team currently one point of out of first place in its division. Then again, when have you ever known the Oilers to do anything routinely?

The track record in this game hasn’t been good for the Oilers:

Oct. 16: after beating Vancouver and the Rangers, a 4-2 loss to the Islanders.

Oct. 25: after beating Ottawa and Montreal, a 3-2 loss to Seattle.

Nov. 13: after beating Columbus and Philadelphia, a 5-4 loss to Columbus.

Dec. 9: after beating Seattle and Winnipeg, a 4-3 loss to Buffalo.

Dec. 14: after beating Detroit and Toronto, a 4-1 loss to Montreal.

Dec. 20: after beating Pittsburgh and Boston, a 5-2 loss to Minnesota.

Dec 27: after beating Vegas and Calgary, a 3-2 loss to Calgary.

Jan. 10: after beating Nashville and Winnipeg, a 4-3 loss to L.A.

Jan. 20: after beating Vancouver and St. Louis, a 2-1 loss to New Jersey.

Zero for nine. Six one-goal defeats and a 4-2 with an empty netter. They aren’t getting blown out, they just found a way to lose seven one-goal games when they were trying to generate some form of momentum.

So here they are again. After 6-5 and 7-4 fire wagon wins over Washington and Anaheim, a chance to shut this story angle up for good.

It will be the visiting San Jose Sharks, led by wunderkind Macklin Celebrini, standing in the way of history Thursday night at Rogers Place.

And the Oilers will have to do it, it seems, without Mattias Ekholm, who didn’t practice Wednesday and is listed as day-to-day after he scored three goals in the win over Anaheim.

The keys to victory are pretty obvious — shut down Celebrini and tighten up the goaltending and defence that gave up nine goals in the last two games.

Not to suggest the Sharks are a one-man team, but the 19-year-old centre is fourth in NHL scoring with 78 points and the next closest San Jose player has 36.

“It’s quite remarkable the season he’s having,” said Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch. “He’s one of the top forwards in the NHL. It looks like he’s driving a lot of their offence. I’m looking forward to seeing him. We’ll probably spend some attention on him, trying to contain him as much as we can.”

This is the changing face of the Pacific Division, the circle of life, if you will. As the Oilers, Golden Knights and Kings get older, the up and coming teams are getting stronger.

That’s why putting together some kind of run, something that lasts more then 72 hours, is kind of important.

“We know we’re in a huge stretch right now,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “We’re barely playing in February, so the timeline is kind of pushed up right now. We know where we’re at and these are some important games down the stretch.”

The Sharks are 7-3-0 in their last 10 (Oilers are 5-3-2) and have three games in hand, so the race in the Pacific Division is closer that it appears at first glance.

“We want to try and get some separation from these teams,” said Knoblauch. “Anaheim is right on our heels, it was important for us to win and give us some breathing room. Same thing with San Jose, a team that is right on our heels.

“The break is coming soon but these games are important.”

The Olympic break is now only days away. With players making travel plans and looking forward to a nice, relaxing stay in a sunny beach somewhere — a perfect respite in a compact season and a chance to recharge the batteries for the stretch drive — keeping their eye on the target is a key message Knoblauch and his staff are trying to get across.

“Keeping the focus is important, whether it’s coming from the coaches or the leadership group,” he said. “We’ll put in the work and the attention to detail in these four games and then we can relax for a little bit and start up again at the end of February. They know what’s at stake.”

Yes they do.

E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com

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