The Hawks had momentum going into Edmonton. On Saturday, they redeemed themselves for their loss last Thursday against the L.A. Kings by defeating the San Jose Sharks 4–2 in San Jose. The Blackhawks are only the second team to win in regulation at the Shark Tank this season.

Edmonton was looking for redemption themselves, not having forgotten the last time they met the Blackhawks, a 9–2 loss at home. The Hawks had their chances, and they out-shot the Oilers 14-7, but Edmonton walked away from the first up by one.

Penalty killing has been problematic for the Blackhawks of late. The Hawks have given up at least one power play goal in the last seven straight games. Patrick Kane’s hooking call at 1:50 put the Hawks a man down, an early test against a hot Edmonton team.

The Chicago penalty unit came out strong, only allowing Edmonton one shot. Unfortunately for the Hawks, the Oilers came right back from the kill with a strange goal that put them up by one.

After getting denied by Cristobal Huet, Ethan Moreau grabbed his own rebound behind the net. Heavily covered by Brian Campbell, Moreau flung the puck in the air in an attempt to center it. The puck bounced off of Campbell, then off of Huet’s head and into the net (4:48).

The second period was much better for the Blackhawks. Just over a minute in, Moreau headed to the penalty box for interference (1:15), giving the Hawks their sole power opportunity of the night.

Brian Campbell passed the puck to Cam Barker at the point, who one-timed it through traffic past a heavily screened Dwayne Roloson for the equalizer (3:06).

Dave Bolland gave the Hawks the lead after he pump-faked a shot, forcing Moreau to sprawl out for a body block. With Moreau sliding by, Bolland scooted over with the puck and let it fly. Thanks to Andrew Ladd’s screen, he sailed it by Roloson for the goal (16:12).

The Hawks’ penalty unit was tested again in the third (Adam Burish, tripping, 6:29), but Huet was there to keep the Hawks in the lead.

Martin Havlat gave the Hawks some breathing room after he wrapped around the back of the net and stuffed the puck past Roloson for a 3–1 lead (9:50).

The final four minutes were a test for both Blackhawks defense and the penalty killers. Dustin Byfuglien gave his detractors something to complain about (ignoring the big defensive numbers he has put up and his impressive on-ice presence) for the second game in a row by drawing a penalty late in the third (tripping, 16:48). Huet and the Hawks took it in stride, fending off the Oilers attack to hold onto their 3–1 lead for their 10th victory in Canada.

The Hawks played a great game. Their win against San Jose gave them a much-needed confidence boost, proving that they can play with, and beat, the league’s elite. This confidence showed against Edmonton. The one-point deficit at the end of the first had no effect on their game. They knew they would score; it was just a matter of time.

Edmonton’s Roloson deserves a lot of credit as well. He kept the Hawks at bay for much of the game, stopping 38 of 41 shots. If it were not for him, the Hawks would have routed the Oilers as they did in December.

Tuesday’s 3–1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers is a good start for the Canadian portion of the road trip. The Hawks face the Northwest Division–leading Calgary Flames on Thursday and the slumping Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Neither game will be easy, but if the Hawks play as well as they did against Edmonton, there is a good chance they will walk out of Canada 12-0-0.
 

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