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RECAP: Blackhawks bested by Oilers, lose 4–3 at home

  
RECAP: Blackhawks bested by Oilers, lose 4–3 at home
Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard and Edmonton Oilers right wing Vasily Podkolzin face off at center ice during the second period of an NHL hockey game on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Chicago. (Photo courtesy of Erin Hooley / Associated Press)

After losing badly to the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit on Friday night, the Chicago Blackhawks looked to bounce back at home against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. The game versus Detroit was ugly in every respect; the Blackhawks were outshot and outplayed by a better Red Wings team, who won their sixth straight in taking down the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks were absolutely outclassed, which is not surprising given the talent differential between the two teams, but they also looked unprepared.

Hoping to get off to a better start against Edmonton, the Blackhawks’ lines would look like this:

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First period 

The Blackhawks got things started fairly early in this game. Just 4:45 into the first, Jason Dickinson fed Teuvo Teravainen in the slot, who ripped one past Calvin Pickard.

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The Blackhawks were not done yet. Nick Foligno took an Alec Martinez shot off the end boards and tucked it home, 2–0 Chicago. The first period would end with the Blackhawks up by two scores over Edmonton.

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Second period

The second period featured a lot of action on both ends of the ice. The Oilers cut the Blackhawks’ lead in half early, with Vasily Podkolzin getting a nice feed in front to get the Oilers back to within one. Halfway through the period, though, the Blackhawks would get one back.

After a steal in the offensive zone, Taylor Hall came up with the puck in the right circle. Then, he fed Nolan Allan, who in turn got the puck to Ryan Donato, who ripped it past Pickard, putting the Blackhawks back up by two.

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That is where the good news would stop for the Blackhawks. Five minutes after they scored, the Oilers came right back to cut the lead. Ty Emberson put a shot toward the net that got deflected by Adam Henrique in front, bringing the Oilers within one. TJ Brodie failed to tie up Henrique’s stick, allowing him to get the tip in the first place. Then, the Oilers would claw all the way back. Old frenemy Corey Perry was allowed to skate right into the middle of the ice and shoot, knotting things up at 3–3.

Third period

The big momentum swing toward Edmonton carried on into the third period. Allan got called for a trip, putting the Oilers up on the power play. They made the most of it, with Leon Draisaitl putting a shot on net that garnered a rebound. Zach Hyman was right in front to tuck it around the pad of Arvid Soderblom, giving the Oilers their first lead.

Even in pulling their goalie, the Blackhawks were unable to generate chances to claw back in. They even had a 6 on-4 due to a power play for the last minute, but could not convert. Edmonton would take this game by a score of 4–3 final.

Analysis

The Blackhawks dropped off after a good start to this game. As easily as they had gained momentum in the first 30 minutes, it dropped off just as quickly in the last 30. If I am the Blackhawks’ coaching staff, I would be preaching that they need to clear the front of the net. If someone is taking the puck right out in front, pick up that guy. There seemed to be way too much zone defense being played with the puck in close, especially given the fact that the Oilers were not on a power play. Everyone has their assignments, and they need to do them. When they do not, that is when things break down defensively. It also seemed like the Oilers scoring at all completely deflated the Blackhawks. As a team, you still need to come back and play with everything you have, and that just was not evident.

The Blackhawks will look to get back on track against the Calgary Flames on Monday night. That game will be at 6:30 p.m. CST on CHSN and NHL Network.

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