BLOG: Oilers regroup for Game 2

EDMONTON, AB -It's not a playoff series without some drama and the 6-4 defeat suffered in Game 1 certainly stirred the Oilers pot.

Looking to re-calibrate ahead of Monday's Game 2, the Orange & Blue used Sunday's team practice at Terwillegar Rec Centre to rectify the mistakes made in their series opener.

Members of the Orange & Blue admitted post-game they were largely outplayed by the playoff-proven and battle-tested 'Hawks, who scored four unanswered after Edmonton got on the board early in the first period.

"For us, it was a little bit of a wake-up call," forward James Neal, who laced up in his 105th career playoff game Saturday, said.

"We kind of just dipped our toe in the water and weren't fully committed to how we need to play. We'll put that behind us, learn from it and be a lot better tomorrow."

Chicago won the shot category 42-29, blocked 15 shots and gave the pick away just eight times as opposed to the Oilers 17 giveaways.

The Blackhawks' top line of Dominik Kubalik, Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad could not be contained, combining for 10 points. Rookie Kubalik's five-point effort set an NHL record for most points in a playoff debut.

"For whatever reason, we were sluggish," Oilers Head Coach Dave Tippett said on Sunday.

"We had some players that did some things well. But we had too many players that didn't. This is a game where when you get into the playoffs, you need everyone maxing out."

The Oilers dished 47 hits on Saturday but Coach Tippett felt his club needed more physically. The bench boss hopes to see his squad more persistent in the dirty areas of the ice, which he thinks will lead to better puck possession.

"Battles on the wall, battles for net-front presence, checking; we need to be a lot more physically engaged that way," said the coach.

"What it does is allow you to have the puck more. When you're not winning battles and the other team's winning the puck more than you are, you're going to be chasing the game."

Sunday also saw the NHL Department of Player Safety issue a one-game suspension to Blackhawks forward Drake Caggiula. The former Oilers winger caught Tyler Ennis with a hit to the head in the second period of Game 1.

Coach Tippett confirmed that Ennis did participate in practice on Sunday and will play in Monday's Game 2.

"We had everybody on the ice and Ennis is fine," he said.