Recapping the Chicago Blackhawks: A 7-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers sends them into a 9-day All-Star break

The Chicago Blackhawks entered the NHL All-Star break on a down note, getting swept out of Edmonton with a 7-3 loss to the Oilers on Saturday night.

The Hawks had won seven of their previous 10 games but had no success this season against the Oilers in the only three tries they’ll get.

“Especially this year, we pre-scout them and know what they’re going to do and they still seem to do it,” Hawks coach Luke Richardson said. “They’re really good at it.”

The Oilers took a 1-0 lead on their first shot on goal during the game’s first power play, courtesy of Seth Jones’ interference penalty against Darnell Nurse. Tyson Barrie ripped a shot from the point that bounced off Petr Mrázek’s blocker and trickled in.

Jason Dickinson evened the score 5½ minutes into the second period when Patrick Kane centered a pass to him as Dickinson crashed the net. But the period progressively deteriorated for the Hawks.

[ [Don’t miss] 78 years later, Chicago Blackhawks forward John Harms finally gets his rookie card as part of a campaign to honor Indigenous players ]

Ian Mitchell hooked former Hawks teammate Mattias Janmark, and Leon Draisaitl made them pay with his 17th power-play goal of the season.

After Sam Lafferty and Brett Kulak went to their respective boxes for fighting, the Oilers exploded for three goals in 2 minutes, 33 seconds.

Barrie swept in the puck after a Zach Hyman blast from the point settled in front of the line, then Connor McDavid backhanded his 41st goal 57 seconds later. Hyman capped the onslaught with a tip-in with 5 minutes left in the period.

Jonathan Toews returned after a one-game absence and played on the third line with Lafferty and Colin Blackwell. Toews tipped in a Kane feed in the third period for his team-leading eighth power-play goal.

• Kane tied up Cody Ceci to spring Andreas Athanasiou for a breakaway, but Athanasiou — switching between forehand and backhand — made the puck bounce and whiffed on his shot. If it’s any consolation, the Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins flubbed a one-timer from Klim Kostin during a two-on-one later in the period.
• The Hawks never got on track during their first power play. The Oilers started the penalty kill with two clears, dared the Hawks to beat them through the neutral zone and then tied them at the back wall.

It worked. The Hawks generated no shots on goal, and the only thing that prevented a short-handed breakaway was that Ryan McCleod got greedy and traveled offside before a stretch pass arrived.

The Hawks looked better during their second power play but still gave up two short-handed rushes.

On the third try, Toews tipped in Kane’s centering pass from net front despite a hard check in the back from Vincent Desharnais that knocked Toews to the ice.

• If ever there was a time for the Hawks to be more disciplined about penalties, it was against the Oilers, who entered with the league’s No. 1 power play (31.4%). But Jones interfered with Nurse in the first period and Mitchell hooked Janmark in the second, and the Oilers scored 23 and 33 seconds into those power plays.

“Unfortunately, if we could’ve got either one of those kills, I think we (would’ve) started really well,” Richardson said. “First one may have been a bit of a lucky bounce. I don’t think Petr saw it till the last second and then it went off his blocker and in.

[ [Don’t miss] Chicago Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson isn’t afraid to admit mistakes — showing players he holds himself accountable too ]

“But the second one, we have to protect that inside more. I think Jack (Johnson) stepped outside on that give-and-go. We showed that this morning and things happen so quick with those guys, you just want to kill the play.

“But we’ve just got to be a little more patient and let them play on the outside and below the goal line and make them work for it a little bit harder. … They do that to everybody, not just us.”

• Toews’ third-period goal ended a seven-game drought for the Hawks on the power play, coming on the 12th chance in that stretch. The unit remains streaky and ranks 22nd at 19.4%.
• Dickinson scored for a second straight game, but what stands out is both came with Dickinson centering Kane’s line — and with Kane serving up the primary assist.
• In the first period, defenseman Caleb Jones slid to break up a two-on-one from Dylan Holloway to Hyman. Jones has had a run of “saves” lately, sweeping a puck from an open net against the Calgary Flames and using his glove to stop Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York’s shot.
• Taylor Raddysh scored his 14th goal in the third period. The Hawks turned back the puck at the defensive blue line, and Max Domi weaved to the right flank of the Oilers defense and sent it over Raddysh as he zipped up the middle. Raddysh’s quick tap-in easily beat Jack Campbell.

It looked like the Oilers were skating circles around the Hawks at times, which explains how they generated 23 high-danger chances in five-on-five, including 12 in the second period.

“We were so connected (defensively) last game,” Richardson said. “I thought second period it started to spread out. They just feast on that when you don’t play your game plan.”

The Hawks dropped to 15-29-4 (.354), still ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets (15-32-3, .330) for the league’s worst record.

The Hawks are off for nine days, including this weekend’s All-Star break, before playing host to the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 7 at the United Center.