The Chicago Blackhawks won their fourth in a row, dropping the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 Thursday night.
The Oilers were going after their fourth-straight win.
“We didn’t play well enough in the first two periods and pressed a little bit in the third, but dug too big a hole from the first two periods,” head coach Dave Tippett said after the game.
LISTEN BELOW: Dave Tippett
Chicago’s Patrick Kane scored the only goal of the first period, his 30th of the season.
The Blackhawks struck twice in the first five minutes of the second.
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Chicago centre Jonathan Toews tucked in a wraparound after a goal-mouth scramble, then Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat beat a screened Mike Smith to make it 3-0.
Exactly one minute later, the Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins whacked in his own rebound to put Edmonton on the board.
DeBrincat came back with another mid-range shot while Smith was screened to put the Blackhawks up 4-1.
Smith was pulled after allowing four goals on 21 shots. Mikko Koskinen took over in the Oilers crease.
The Oilers made it interesting with goals 49 seconds apart before the mid-point of the the third.
Edmonton forward Josh Archibald finished off a two-on-one with Zack Kassian.
The Oilers’ Kailer Yamamoto picked the top corner on Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford after taking a pass from Leon Draisaitl.
The Oilers pulled Koskinen for an extra attacker with two minutes left but couldn’t muster the tying goal.
“Tonight we just started too late — started competing too late — so you’re not going to beat any team like that,” Draisaitl said.
LISTEN BELOW: Leon Draisaitl
The Oilers (39-24-8) will host Columbus Saturday.
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