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Blackhawks’ winning streak goes bye thanks to Talbot, Oilers

Edmonton Oilers v Chicago Blackhawks

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 17: Cam Talbot #33 of the Edmonton Oilers follows the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on December 17, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeaed the Oilers 4-0. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

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If you wanted to escape bye week talk, turn away from this one.

The Chicago Blackhawks went into their break on a five-game winning streak, yet they saw theirs end much like the Washington Capitals’ did earlier on Saturday. In Chicago’s case, the Edmonton Oilers handed them that loss via a score of 3-1.

A result like this will annoy different people for different reasons.


  • Some will be annoyed by bye weeks, period. This will make them more annoyed.
  • Others will be annoyed that the bye week narrative persists. This will not help.


  • A reasonable portion will be annoyed that such discussions take the focus of great performances, like Cam Talbot standing on his head against Chicago.

The workhorse Oilers netminder stopped 38 out of 39 shots and deserves a ton of credit for this win. Connor McDavid’s 20th goal of the season was an empty-netter, so Talbot’s margin of error was that small.

Milan Lucic’s first goal since Dec. 6(!) ended up being the decisive tally, one that might bug Corey Crawford a little extra:

It’s not as though the Blackhawks slept through this one. They managed that 39-22 shots on goal advantage, also making the Oilers block 26 shots (to 11 for Chicago). Every indication was that the Blackhawks generally played like a well-rested group.

Regardless, their winning streak is over and Edmonton gets a nice confidence-boosting win.

Also of note: Jonathan Toews’ assist gave him his 600th career point.