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Preview: Oilers @ Blackhawks Game 33

Streak snapped; can the Oilers start back at one?

By Jeff Chapman
Rookie Artemi Panarin has got to be stopped. He's got six points (3-3-6) in two games against Edmonton this year.
Rookie Artemi Panarin has got to be stopped. He's got six points (3-3-6) in two games against Edmonton this year.
Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports


Edmonton

@
Chicago
14-16-2, 30 points, .937 p/g Ranks 17-11-4, 38 points, 1.187 p/g
Western Conference - 12th Western Conference - 5th
24th P/G 11th
18th ST 7th
22nd S/G 6th
25th Goal 12th
6:30 PM MDT
TV - Sportsnet Oilers
Radio - 630 CHED
United Center
The opposing view: Second City Hockey

Snapped at Six

The Oilers' win steak stops at six.  The Rangers doubled up the Oilers by a score of 4-2 on a Tuesday night where New York never trailed.  Mats Zuccarello scored the game's first goal with five minutes gone in the first period.  Zuccarello would later add an assist to a Rick Nash power play goal to cap a two point night.  Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle each had goals in the second period, but it wouldn't be enough as the Rangers would emerge from this one on top.

The Oilers will try to string six more victories together starting tonight in (looks at card...) Chicago.

Let's go to the tape.

The Oilers are saying

"We definitely felt the effects of the back-to-back...The difference was PK, power play, special teams tonight.  If we could have taken care of that a little better, I think we would have had a better fate...We've got to generate more from (our PP).  It had to be there and it wasn't.

Source

That's Oilers defenceman Brandon Davidson on Edmonton's streak ending at six.  The Oilers looked gassed in Boston on the night previous, and quite honestly I'm surprised it was this close in New York.  The Oilers got a power play tally from Taylor Hall with five minutes gone in the second period, but Rick Nash cashed on a power play goal of his own with less than a minute remaining in the middle frame.

The opponents are saying

"They have a good skating team, a good team.  It was a big two points on the line, and that's what we're disappointed about.  It was a (Central Division) game.  We need to be better and regroup now."

Source
That's Blackhawks defenceman Duncan Keith expressing his disappointment about Chicago's loss to Colorado on Tuesday.  Semyon Varlamov turned aside all 29 of Chicago's shots en route to an Avalanche victory.  The West is a mess this year.

Have some of this.
  • Oh.
  • Taylor Hall is flirting with 90 points. Yes, he's got to stay healthy, and YES, he's got to perform at the level which he's currently performing at, and YES, the earth is round, not flat, but hey, 90 points is pretty incredible.  Hall (15-20-35) is lights out for the Oilers right now.
  • Cam Talbot (4-8-1, .897 SV% / 3.07 GAA) gets the nod for the Oilers tonight.  Talbot's last performance in Boston saw him turn aside 47 of 49 Bruin shots.  He'll need to be ready tonight.  Corey Crawford (15-8-2, .924 SV% / 2.22 GAA / 4 SO) will start for the Blackhawks.
  • Patrick Kane's point streak was halted at 26 when the Avalanche shutout the Hawks on Tuesday.  Kane's 45 points (19-27-46) lead the NHL by four over Dallas' Tyler Seguin (42)
  • The Oilers would do nicely to put a stop to rookie forward Artemi Panarin.  In the two games Chicago has faced against Edmonotn, Panarin has six points (3-3-6).
  • Tuesday was the first we've seen of Rob Klinkhammer (day-to-day) since late October due to an ankle injury.  Klinkhammer had to leave the game after tweaking it.  Iiro Pakarinen (day-to-day) left early after blocking a shot while on the PK.  There's room for Jujhar Khaira here somewhere.
  • Connor McDavid (clavicle),  Nail Yakupov (ankle), Oscar Klefbom (finger), and Benoit Pouliot (lower body) will be missing from action tonight.  The Blackhawks do not have any players listed as injured.