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Brouwer leads charge as Blackhawks drill Oilers

Dec 17, 2008 - 6:41 AM EDMONTON, Alberta (Ticker) -- The individual star power found on the Chicago Blackhawks makes them very potent on the offensive end. When they are playing together, though, their scoring potential can be downright dangerous.

Troy Brouwer scored two goals and set up another and Patrick Kane tallied and notched two assists as the Blackhawks used a five-goal outburst in the second period to vanquish the Edmonton Oilers, 9-2, on Tuesday.

Ben Eager, rookie Kris Versteeg and defenseman Brian Campbell joined Brouwer in scoring goals in the second. Colin Fraser and defenseman Duncan Keith each had a goal and an assist, while Craig Adams also tallied for the Blackhawks, who extended their season-best winning streak to five games.

"It's been a fun little run we're on right now," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "I think it's a good group, I think they care for one another and I think that's important - and beginning with that, it's a good foundation. We're reinforcing our team-game, knowing that's a priority."

Chicago undoubtedly made this contest a team effort since its nine goals were netted by eight different players. The last time an NHL team had eight different players score in a game was when the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New York Islanders, 8-1, on October 11, 2007.

Defenseman James Wisniewski recorded three assists and fellow blue-liner Cam Barker and Andrew Ladd had two apiece.

"We're an unbelievable team," Brouwer said. "We're young and we got a lot of heart on this team and we know we're good. I think that's what really makes us even better is that we go out there knowing we can win every night."

The last time the Blackhawks had eight different players score in a game was in a 9-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on March 16, 1995.

Shawn Horcoff netted a power-play goal and Marc-Antoine Pouliot also scored, but the Oilers fell for just the second time in six contests.

"We just weren't ready," Horcoff said. "There wasn't one area of the game where we were effective at all tonight. We weren't ready off the start and our penalty killing was back to where it has been and where we don't want it to be. There wasn't one area where we were even close to be good enough tonight."

Chicago has scored five or more goals in nine games this season, and ranks second in the NHL in goals scored with 108 - behind San Jose's 112.

Kane and Fraser recorded tallies in the first, and then the Oilers defense fizzled in the worst of ways.

"It was humiliating," Oilers defenseman Sheldon Souray said. "It was a real poor effort. They pretty much exposed us in every area of the game. They took it to us all over the place. All the way around, we got outplayed. It's been a long time since I have been part of a game like that."

Campbell netted his fifth goal of the season 3:46 into the second with a slap shot from above the left faceoff circle. Following Horcoff's power-play tally, Brouwer responded with his first strike with 7:55 left in the session.

"They were really starting to come on and play really well and they got that power-play goal it took a little bit of wind out of our sails," Brouwer said. "But when we got our fourth goal and then a quick fifth goal, that really helped us."

Versteeg gave Chicago a 5-1 lead 21 seconds later, notching his 24th point of the season and forging a tie with Columbus' Derick Brassard for most points among rookies. Oilers coach Craig MacTavish promptly pulled goaltender Mathieu Garon, who stopped 16 shots.

"I don't think it was a goaltending issue," MacTavish said. "There were a lot of screens. There were so many goals tonight, I am having trouble sorting them all out, but there was at least two or three that were clear screens that (Garon) didn't see. And then he, like us, became unglued."

Eager converted passes from Kane and Barker with 4:06 remaining in the second and Brouwer capped the period's rally nearly 2 1/2 minutes later by deflecting a shot while positioned in the slot.

Keith ballooned the Blackhawks' bulge to 8-1 with an own goal while shorthanded 5:32 into the third when defenseman Tom Gilbert managed to direct the puck into his own net. Adams beat Dwayne Roloson with 5:01 left in the game to secure the victory.

"I think we played well down the stretch last year, and obviously had a tough start to the season," Adams said of his team, which fired coach Denis Savard after a 1-2-1 start. "I'm going to play every night and get some minutes. It's easier to play the more you play."

Pouliot then converted Liam Reddox's pass 24 seconds after Adams solved Roloson.

Lost in the offensive affair, Chicago netminder Nikolai Khabibulin shined in goal and turned aside 31 shots.

The Blackhawks outshot the Oilers, 44-33, overall and by a 15-9 margin in the second.