Blackhawks 2 - 5 Oilers
Final
  for this game

Blackhawks try to continue mastery of Oilers

Jan 9, 2015 - 4:01 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim to extend their recent dominance of the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night when the clubs clash at Rexall Place.

The Blackhawks have won five in a row in this series, taking the first of three meetings this season 7-1 on Nov. 22 in Edmonton. Jonathan Toews scored twice, Marian Hossa had a goal and three assists and Patrick Kane notched a goal.

It was a rough game for Oilers netminders. Ben Scrivens was tagged for five goals on 13 shots in a little over one period of action, while Viktor Fasth stopped 15-of-17 shots in relief.

Corey Crawford posted 24 saves in Chicago's third straight victory in Edmonton.

Crawford was very busy in last night's road contest with the Minnesota Wild, but was up to the task in a 4-2 win as he finished with 42 saves.

Minnesota outshot Chicago 37-10 after the first period, but Crawford stopped 35 of them to help the Blackhawks win for the fourth time in six games.

"Just trying to find the puck," said Crawford. "They were getting some traffic in front. I was just trying to look around, battle as hard as I could."

Chicago got a pair of goals from Bryan Bickell in the third period to pull away. Patrick Sharp and Kane also scored for the Blackhawks, with Kane reaching the 20-goal mark for the eighth time in as many NHL seasons.

The Oilers are hoping to catch a tired Blackhawks club and avoid a 24th loss in 27 games. They are 3-15-8 over that rut and are coming off a 4-2 loss to the visiting Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.

Jordan Eberle's second goal of the game tied things up for the Oilers late in the third period, but forward Benoit Pouliot took an ill-advised spearing penalty with 2:29 left on the clock.

That helped to set up Detroit's go-ahead power-play tally as Pavel Datsyuk's pass attempt hit off Edmonton's Matt Hendricks and in. The Red Wings would later add an empty-net tally.

"I just lost it I guess and retaliated in a way that I shouldn't have," Pouliot said on Edmonton's website. "It's just frustrating. I feel shame obviously, coming in here and seeing the guys going all out all night and I do something so ridiculous at the end. I can't take it back now, I've just got to move on from it and learn that it was so stupid."

Eberle scored his first goal of the game on a power play early in the first and Fasth ended with 37 saves.

"It was good to see Jordan pop a couple like that. It was good to see him moving his feet and really competing," Oilers interim head coach Todd Nelson said.

Edmonton ends a four-game homestand on Sunday versus Florida.






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