It’s starting to feel like the autumn of 2023 again, as the Edmonton Oilers fell 5-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead late in the first period, as Philipp Kurashev deflected the puck past Calvin Pickard. However, the Oilers scored their first goal of the season after the power play had ended, as former Blackhawk Corey Perry banged in a rebound to tie the game at one.
After the game-tying goal, the Blackhawks took control of the game. Seth Jones scored his 91st career goal in his 800th game to make it 2-1. Three minutes later, generational talent Connor Bedard showed off his wicked release, beating Pickard for the game-winning goal.
In the third period, the Blackhawks put the game out of reach after a Connor McDavid penalty, as Tuevo Teravainen shot the puck off Darnell Nurse and in.
The Oilers showed some life toward the end of the game, as Viktor Arvidsson beat Petr Mrázek after the puck bounced off his skate. However, the goal was called off for a clear goaltender interference. Shortly after though, Leon Draisaitl scored his first of the season on the power play to make it 4-2.
With under a minute left, Teravainen scored his second of the game and his third of the season to make it 5-2, the final score of the game.

Takeaways…

The Oilers penalty kill during the 2024 postseason will be one of the best in history during the playoffs. But the same cannot be said about the penalty kill early this season, as the Winnipeg Jets scored twice on three power plays on Wednesday, and the Blackhawks scored three times on their three power plays on Saturday. That is a problem.
Speaking of problems, the Oilers can’t afford to have a rough season like they did last season. As you can recall, the Oilers started the season 2-9-1, resulting in the firing of head coach Jay Woodcroft. Realistically, they were saved by a 16-game win streak that featured plenty of weak teams. Edmonton has to start winning soon.
There were some positives from this game, as the Oilers once again outplayed the opposition, finishing with 36 shots to Chicago’s 20. Moreover, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picked up an assist for the 700th point of his career. On top of that, Stuart Skinner’s assist on Corey Perry’s goal was his first point as an Oiler.
Edmonton returns to action on Sunday, as they’ll host the Calgary Flames starting at 6:00 PM MT. Like the Blackhawks, the Flames will be on the second of a back-to-back.
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