Blackhawks down Oilers 5-2

Oilers and Blackhawks scramble for the puck in front of Chicago's Cristobal Huet Saturday night at Rexall Place. The 'Hawks went on to win 5-2. (Photo by Andy Devlin / Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club)

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PRE-GAME

Preview Game Notes Head-to-Head Stats Comparison Game Program Video interviews Audio Interviews

PHOTOS

Click here for the photo gallery

VIDEO

Post-game video highlights will be available later tonight COMING SOON: Post-game comments from Sheldon Souray, Shawn Horcoff, Jeff Deslauriers & Pat Quinn The Other Side: Post-game comments from Jonathan Toews, Brian Campbell, Cristobal Huet & coach Joel Quenneville

AUDIO

Pre-game interview with tonight's Oilers backup Torrie Jung Post-game with Torrie Jung Shawn Horcoff Sheldon Souray Jeff Deslauriers Pat Quinn Audio highlights vs. Chicago

THREE STARS

Jonathan Toews, CHI - 2g & 3 points Patrick Kane, CHI - 1g & 2 points Dustin Penner, EDM - 1g & 2 points

UPDATE

With the loss, the Oilers fall to 9-11-3 and sit in 12th spot in the Western Conference with 21 points.

WHAT'S NEXT

Edmonton continues their five-game homestand Monday, November 23 vs. Phoenix at Rexall Place. Game time is 7:00pm. If you can't make the game, you can watch it live on Molson Canadian Oilers Pay Per View. Click here for more information.

by Jen Sharpe | edmontonoilers.com

With Nikolai Khabibulin unable to play due to a sore back, the Oilers relied on back-up Jeff Deslauriers Saturday night. Unfortunately for the home team and their fans, the powerful Blackhawks overwhelmed the Oil and secured a 5-2 win.

Sheldon Souray and Dustin Penner scored for Edmonton, Chicago captain Jonathan Toews posted two goals and three points, and Jeff Deslauriers made 25 saves in the loss.

FIRST PERIOD

Early in the game, a collision between Dustin Penner and Bryan Bickell sent the Blackhawk to the ice. Bickell required help to get back to the locker room and looked disoriented as he was guided away.

On the following face-off, Chicago settled into Edmonton's zone and got a goal for their absent teammate. From Jeff Deslauriers' blocker side, Jonathan Toews wristed the puck into the net to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.

But only 35 seconds later, the Oilers answered. Although Cristobal Huet stopped caught a piece of Sheldon Souray's initial shot, the puck slipped across the line, tying the game at one.

While Souray played a role in Edmonton's goal, he also played a role in Chicago's next marker. At 7:20, Kris Versteeg backhanded the puck towards the Oilers net. Deslauriers caught a piece of it, but the rebound deflected off Souray and into the net, renewing Chicago's lead.

The teams stayed neck-and-neck on the shot clock as the period progressed, but the 'Hawks managed to double their lead with just over seven minutes left in the frame. With Oilers defenders down his neck, Patrick Kane powered in on Deslauriers and forced the puck past the goalie to set the score 3-1.

With both clubs tied at nine shots each, Chicago held on to its two-goal lead through 20 minutes.

SECOND PERIOD

3:15 into the middle frame, Oilers forward Sam Gagner drew a hooking penalty from Brent Seabrook, offering the home team the game's first powerplay. Unfortunately for the Oil and their fans, the club managed only one shot on net and surrendered two shorthanded scoring chances.

Shortly after Seabrook's penalty expired, Gilbert Brule gave the Blackhawks the advantage by taking a roughing minor. But like their opponents, the visitors were unable to tally a powerplay goal and the 3-1 game continued.

Until the game's midway point, that is. With Andrew Ladd, John Madden, and Troy Brower at the helm, the Blackhawks surrounded Deslauriers. The Oilers goalie stopped Ladd's initial shot, but Madden transformed the resulting rebound into a fourth Hawks goal.

A last-minute penalty to the 'Hawks captain gave the Oilers powerplay unit the chance to redeem itself, and in the last possible moment before intermission, it looked as if the mission was accomplished.

With the puck resting under Huet's legs, Shawn Horcoff pounced and pushed it across the line. Although the clock showed 0.1 seconds when the goal was scored, officials ruled that the clock was prematurely stopped and time was in fact expired.

As a result, Edmonton headed to the final frame down three goals and seven shots.

THIRD PERIOD

Although the Oilers were denied their powerplay goal at the end of the second, they got it back in the third. Stationed just off Huet's crease, Penner tipped in Steve Staios' slapshot to put the Oil within two with 18:31 left in regulation.

At 11:24, Ethan Moreau was called for goaltender interference and the Blackhawks strove to renew their three-goal lead. 18 seconds later, Toews got the job done by beating Deslauriers for the second time and his third point of the game.

The Oilers came within three shots of the Hawks' 30, but Huet held on to secure a 5-2 win for his club in Edmonton and a sweep of their trip through Alberta.