LDN - Sports

Talbot, Oilers shut out Blackhawks

[November 22, 2016] EDMONTON, Alberta -- After years of being tormented by their longtime nemesis from Chicago, the Edmonton Oilers gained a measure of revenge Monday with a 5-0 victory at Rogers Place Arena.

Goaltender Cam Talbot made 31 saves for the shutout as the Oilers beat Chicago for just the third time in the past 13 meetings. Leon Draisaitl scored twice and added an assist.

"They've been playing some good hockey lately, so it's not an easy team to shut out by any means," said Talbot, who recorded his third clean sheet of the season. "We played a great team game. That's a huge statement win for us tonight."

While the Oilers were 1-5 in their previous six games, the Blackhawks were one of the hottest teams in the league. They were 11-1-2 in their previous 14 contests to sit first in the Western Conference.

But that didn't seem to matter. The Oilers led 2-0 after one period, 3-0 after two and pulled away for good in the third.

"That's a big win for us," said Edmonton captain Connor McDavid, who had two assists to move into the NHL scoring lead with 24 points. "They've been hot and gotten points in their last 10 or something ridiculous. They've been playing really well, and for us to get a win like that is definitely big for the confidence moving forward.

"We've been able to snap out of a bit of a funk, and we're looking to go on a run now. Once you get out of one of those, it is important you take off from there."

The Blackhawks aren't used to losing this season, and they definitely aren't used to being blown out. It was a shock to everyone's system.

"That wasn't our team," said goalie Corey Crawford, who made 22 saves. "It was a tough loss, and we just have to forget about it and worry about the next game. I don't take anything away from this one. We created a few good chances, but it was one of those games where nothing was going right. Everything they touched was going in, and it just felt like one of those games."

The Oilers got off to some notoriously bad starts in recent weeks -- giving up a goal in the first two minutes six times in an eight-game stretch -- but they started strongly in this one.

Defenseman Oscar Klefbom got it going with his third goal in three games at 2:39, and Draisaitl added to the lead with a power-play goal at 19:26.

After going 27 consecutive games without a goal, Klefbom has now scored in three straight.

"I was almost a little frustrated after 10, 11, 12 games," he said. "I was hitting some posts and not getting the bounces some games. But I'm really happy with today."

The Blackhawks pressed hard in the second period, but Talbot didn't give them a sniff, stopping several point-blank scoring chances to keep Chicago off the board.

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Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot (33) makes a save during warmup against the Chicago Blackhawks at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Then, with 7.6 seconds left in the second period and Chicago's Marcus Kruger just stepping out of the penalty box, Edmonton defenseman Andrej Sekera made it 3-0 with a shot from the point.

Right winger Anton Slepyshev and Draisaitl added third-period goals to put the game away.

"The other night we were fortunate to come back being down 3-0 after two, so you think there is an outside chance," said Chicago coach Joel Quenneville, referring to his team's rally for a 4-3 win at Vancouver on Saturday. "But it wasn't even close. You can't give up leads like that, and we didn't generate enough traffic at the net. We had some shots, but not the ones that make it tough on the goaltender, and they had some breaks around our net tonight."

Oilers coach Todd McLellan loved the way his team has responded after its five-game losing streak, producing a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday and now the shutout of the Blackhawks.

"That's the closest we've come to a complete game," he said. "It's a really good sign for our team going forward."

NOTES: The Oilers made LW Benoit Pouliot a healthy scratch for the second game in a row. Pouliot doesn't have a point in 11 games despite playing on the second line. ... C Mark Letestu was also scratched for the second game in a row, ending his streak of 100-straight games played since joining the Oilers. ... Blackhawks RW Marian Hossa, who had 13 goals all last season, has 11 in his first 19 games this year. ... The Blackhawks are four games into a seven-game road trip that coincides with the annual circus visit to the United Center. ... The Blackhawks have five rookies in their lineup this season -- C Jacob Hinostroza, RW Ryan Hartman, C Tyler Motte, C Nick Schmaltz and D Gustav Forsling -- and all of them already have their first NHL goal.

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