Just like that, the Edmonton Oilers are starting to look like the team that made two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals.

On Thursday evening, the Oilers were hunting their first five-game win streak of the season, doing just that thanks to a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. It put the Oilers in a tie with the Anaheim Ducks for top spot in the Pacific Division.

Let’s take a look at what went on in this one!

The two teams remained scoreless after a tightly contested first period. In the second period, the Oilers started to generate some chances and eventually scored the opening goal. Six minutes into the period, a great defensive play by Darnell Nurse at the Oilers’ blue line forced a turnover, and Jack Roslovic found Adam Henrique for a breakaway. His initial backhand shot was saved, but he was able to bat in the rebound for his first goal in 51 games.

With about eight minutes left in the game, the Oilers finally got a power play goal. Connor McDavid drove towards the net, freeing up Matt Savoie at the side of the net. The rookie made a strong move to the net, and his pass took a deflection off a Blackhawk and into the back of the net.

It looked as if Savoie scored his second goal of the game, and McDavid gave him a picturesque saucer pass for an easy tap-in. However, the goal was brought back as McDavid was offside. Unfortunate.

Five minutes into the third period, the Blackhawks finally solved Tristan Jarry. The Oilers netminder saved the initial shot from the point, and even saved the rebound, but the puck pinballed in the crease and eventually found its way to the back of the net to make it 2-1.

The Oilers scored an empty-netter with 61 seconds left in the game, as former Blackhawk Jason Dickinson elected to pass it over to Vasily Podkolzin for the free goal. It was the Russian forward’s career-high 17th goal, with two former Hawks, Dickinson and Connor Murphy, picking up the assists.

For the first time since Dec. 2024, the Oilers have won five consecutive games. This 3-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks was only close in score, as the Oilers out-shot the Blackhawks 38 to 18. The Hawks had their chances, often missing the net on said chances, but the Oilers laid the body on the line and Tristan Jarry made the necessary saves.

This was Jarry’s second strong game in a row. While his .889 save percentage against the Utah Mammoth just over a week ago doesn’t look great, he was solid. Jarry stopped 17 of 18 shots for a .944 save percentage, just his third full game with a save percentage above .900.

Connor McDavid’s goal streak came to an end, as he failed to find the back of the net in this one. The Oilers’ captain did pick up an assist, giving him 126 points this season. That’s two ahead of Nikita Kucherov.

Since Leon Draisaitl left the lineup, the Oilers power play has struggled. Coming into this game, their last power play goal came in a 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on March 17th. Before Matt Savoie’s goal on Thursday, the Oilers were 0/14 over the last seven and a half games. That said, it was another game with a perfect penalty kill.

Trent Frederic drew two of the Oilers’ power plays in this game, one a trip and one a hold thanks to a strong drive to the net. It was Frederic’s first game in five and he picked up right where he left off. Good to have him back in the lineup. If you’re curious, Max Jones drew the other power play.

Coming into this game, Adam Henrique’s last goal came on October 23rd. He finally found the bat of the net for the third time this season, ending his 50-game goal drought. The veteran scored four goals in each of the last two postseason runs, so let’s hope he has a Mattias Janmark-esque postseason if he’s in the lineup.

Speaking of players named Mattias, it looked as if Mattias Ekholm picked up his 400th point in the National Hockey League on Savoie’s second of the season. Sadly, the goal was called back due to offside. Savoie has just been terrific since the Olympic break ended and Ekholm has been the ever steady defenceman the Oilers traded for.

With the win, the Oilers now are tied for first in the Pacific Division, albeit with an additional game played over the Anaheim Ducks. That said, the Ducks don’t have a lot of breathing room, as the Oilers will have the tiebreaker.

Everything is starting to come together for the Oilers in the final two weeks of the season. They have another important game this weekend, as they host the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday at 8:00 PM MT.