EDMONTON — Credit Corey Crawford.
The Chicago goalie made a huge save on a Taylor Hall blast 30 seconds into overtime on Wednesday as the Blackhawks extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
The save allowed Marian Hossa to take a long pass from Brent Seabrook and score his third goal of the season 1:08 into the extra session.
“That obviously kept us in the game, that was an unbelievable save, a highlight save,” Hossa said. “That’s why we won the game. Even though the game was almost over with a few minutes left, that kind of save gives a boost to the bench and when you are up on the next shift, that definitely gives you an extra boost.”
Duncan Keith, Artemi Panarin and Andrew Shaw also scored for the Blackhawks (11-7-1), who were making their first stop on a six-game road trip.
“It was good to get a win starting this trip,” said Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville. “But give them credit, they were all over us in the first period, and we got it going a little bit in the second, but that might have been the only stretch where we liked how we were playing.”
Jordan Eberle, Benoit Pouliot and Leon Draisaitl found the back of the net for the Oilers (6-12-1), who have lost three in a row and are once again sitting last in the NHL standings.
“For me, and if I say this it’s probably going to come out (wrong), it felt like a win, because we were able to come back and finally get it to overtime,” said Oilers head coach Todd McLellan. “And, in overtime, the way it goes, three-on-three, anything can happen. We got our chance, they got their one and it went in the net for them.”
Draisaitl echoed the sentiments of his coach.
“We showed again that we can play with any team,” he said. “We just need to get over that hump and get two points instead of one or zero.”
Edmonton had 11 shots on Crawford in the first period, but had its best chance early in the second when defenceman Darnell Nurse hit a post.
Keith opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the second — redirecting a Patrick Kane feed past Oilers goalie Anders Nilsson.
Chicago made it 2-0 with five minutes left in the second as a bouncing puck ended up on the stick of an undefended Panarin, who scored his seventh of the season.
Edmonton clawed back shortly after with Brandon Davidson springing Eberle on a breakaway and he beat Crawford high to the glove side.
Nurse danced through traffic to send it to Pouliot in front for the goal as the Oilers tied the game four minutes into the third.
Chicago regained the lead with eight minutes left as Shaw fanned on his initial shot but put away his second whack at it to make it 3-2.
Edmonton tied it up once again with 2:46 remaining as Draisaitl was able to score from a tough angle in tight to send the game to overtime. It was his sixth goal and 14th point in nine games this season.
Both teams return to action on Friday as the Blackhawks play in Calgary and the Oilers host the New Jersey Devils.
Notes: Chicago forward Teuvo Teravainen left the game with an upper body injury. Kane and Panarin came into the game having combined for 46 points this season for the Blackhawks, which accounted for more than 37 per cent of team scoring. Remaining out for the Oilers were Connor McDavid (collarbone), Justin Schultz (back), Rob Klinkhammer (leg) and Luke Gazdic (illness).
