McDavid, Draisaitl score, Oilers defeat Blackhawks for 8th win in row

CHICAGO -- Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid scored to help the Edmonton Oilers win their eighth straight game, 2-1 against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Tuesday.

“Obviously not our best, but give them [the Blackhawks] credit,” McDavid said. “They worked. They clogged things up. They played us all game. I thought we did just enough to get a win.”

Stuart Skinner made 25 saves for the Oilers (21-15-1), who also had an eight-game winning streak this season from Nov. 24-Dec. 12.

“I think we were just good enough to get the win,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “It definitely wasn’t our best game. It wasn’t a Picasso by any means. Sometimes you have to get those out. We’ve certainly lost games that I felt like we should have won. Tonight, I think ‘Skins’ was outstanding. He really saved us and played well and came up with some big saves, especially late in the game. We know we need to get better than that. We’ll take our two points and move on.”

Jason Dickinson scored for the Blackhawks (12-27-2). Petr Mrazek made 13 saves.

“We just fell a little short of finish around the net, but we had some chances,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. “The power play, I thought, was really tenacious, just shooting mentality, and we just couldn’t find that rebound, even 6-on-5, same thing. But I liked our work ethic.

“I think it was the beginning of the second period that they kind of held some play to us. Other than that, I thought we did a good job of countering whatever we threw at us tonight.”

Dickinson gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 5:52 of the first period. The goal came after Mrazek stopped McDavid in close. Dickinson rushed up the left wing, moved into the slot, waited for Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse to slide by and put a wrist shot past Skinner’s stick.

“I saw Joey [linemate Anderson] driving the net real hard,” said Dickinson, whose goal was unassisted. “I think it was Nurse who laid down and I just had enough time to pull it around his stick and then I was just thinking, 'Get it up,' because the goalie's head dropped.”

Draisaitl tied the game 1-1 at 8:05, taking a pass in the slot from Ryan McLeod and pushing it past Mrazek. Nurse had sprung McLeod with a pass out from the defensive zone.

McDavid gave Edmonton a 2-1 lead at 1:02 of the second period, scoring on a breakaway after taking an 80-foot pass from Mattias Ekholm.

An apparent goal by Zach Hyman at 3:08 of the third period was overturned after Chicago challenged and video review determined Draisaitl was offside.

Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak was asked if there was a common thread between the team’s two eight-game winning streaks.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Once we get rolling and feeling our game like we are now, it feels like we can’t lose. We’re kind of in that space right now. You want to hang on to that and enjoy it and stack up the wins when you’ve got that kind of mood.”

NOTES: Draisaitl scored for the eighth consecutive game against the Blackhawks dating to Nov. 20, 2021. The only player with a longer active streak versus one franchise is Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Columbus Blue Jackets (nine games) … Edmonton has had multiple winning streaks of at least eight games in a season for the third time in its history, following 1983-84 (three times) and 1984-85 (twice). … The Oilers recalled Philip Kemp, a defenseman, from Bakersfield of the American Hockey League on Monday. Kemp was a lineup scratch. … Blackhawks forwards Anderson (shoulder) and Taylor Raddysh (groin) returned from injured reserve. Anderson was plus-1 in 13:59 of ice time; Raddysh had one shot on goal in 18:26. … Rem Pitlick, a forward, made his Blackhawks debut after being acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Pitlick had two shots on goal in 18:48 of ice time, including 4:22 on the power play.