Oilers doubled up by Blackhawks 4-2

Chicago's Duncan Keith and Edmonton's Sam Gagner battle for the puck Tuesday, January 26 at Rexall Place. The Blackhawks went on to beat the Oilers 4-2. (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

Watch the highlights Post-game comments from Lubomir Visnovsky, Ryan Potulny, Jeff Deslauriers & Head Coach Pat Quinn The Other Side: Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith & Head Coach Joel Quenneville

AUDIO

Audio Highlights Sam Gagner Lubomir Visnovsky Jeff Deslauriers Ryan Potulny Pat Quinn

THREE STARS

Duncan Keith, CHI - 2 assists Patrick Kane, CHI - 2 assists Fernando Pisani, EDM - 1 goal + 3 shots

UPDATE

With the loss, the Oilers fall to 16-29-6 and remain in 15th spot in the Western Conference with 38 points.

WHAT'S NEXT

Edmonton concludes their four-game homestand Thursday, January 28 vs. St. Louis. The game starts at 7:30pm and will be broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet West. Click here for tickets

An early goal by Chicago captain Jonathan Toews set the tone for the first half of Tuesday's game, with the Blackhawks owning a four-goal, 15-shot lead heading into the final minute of the middle frame. At that point, Edmonton's Fernando Pisani kickstarted a comeback attempt to which Ryan Potulny contributed early in the third.

Unfortunately, the early deficit and strong goaltending from Cristobal Huet late in the game proved too much for the Oil and the club suffered a 4-2 loss.

• For an in-depth look at Tuesday night's game, click here to read Under the Scope

FIRST PERIOD

Only 44 seconds into the game, the Blackhawks swept in and attacked. From the left face-off circle, Toews slipped the puck past Jeff Deslauriers to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

The Hawks dominated the shot clock through the rest of the opening frame but Deslauriers made the saves to prevent a deeper hole for his club. After 20 minutes, the Oilers were down one goal and 11 shots to six.

SECOND PERIOD

Early in the second period, the Oilers tested Cristobal Huet with one more shot while the Hawks got five more on Deslauriers. Near the six-minute mark, winger Troy Brouwer added another shot and goal to the clock. On a set-up from Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks winger wristed the puck over Deslauriers to make it 2-0.

In the following eight minutes, Chicago attained 27 shots and a four-goal lead. Poised in front of Deslauriers' net, Dustin Byfuglien tipped Keith's slapshot into the net for unanswered goal number three. Then three minutes later and with Shawn Horcoff serving a hooking minor, Marian Hossa slapped home number four.

Faced with the prospect of a 4-0 deficit after 40 minutes, the Oilers pulled themselves together and got on the board. At 19:40, Ethan Moreau's shot trickled through Huet's legs and was forced across the line by a diving Pisani, setting the score 4-1 heading into the final frame.

THIRD PERIOD

Six minutes into the third, Potulny narrowed the gap further. With help from Patrick O'Sullivan, the Oilers forward beat Huet with a wrist-shot to score Edmonton's second goal on 15 shots.

Edmonton benefited from their first powerplay when Keith was called for hooking two minutes after the goal, but O'Sullivan took a high-sticking minor on the following face-off, negating the man-advantage. 

The Oilers continued to battle for a comeback, but big saves by Huet kept the home team at a distance. The Blackhawks held on to their two-goal lead and walked away from Alberta's capital region with a 4-2 victory Tuesday night.