GAME RECAP: Oilers 4, Blackhawks 1

CHICAGO, IL – Love a trip to the WINdy City.

Led by Evan Bouchard's three-point night and Connor Ingram's 29-save performance, the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks for the sixth straight visit to United Center on Monday night with a 4-1 victory to begin their Dads Trip and a back-to-back set.

Two of Bouchard's three points were goals, including the eventual game-winner 16 seconds into the second period, pushing his point streak to five games with his 10th goal of the season that was assisted by McDavid, who finished with two helpers and extended his career-best streak to 19 games (19G, 25A).

"I don't know what else there is to say about him," Bouchard said. "He's a leader on and off the ice, and he obviously drives our team. He's been great all season long, so I'm not shocked that he's at 19 right now.

Zach Hyman recorded a goal and an assist and has 12 goals in his last 16 games after he opened the scoring with 5:14 left opening frame on Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight, who was solid with 33 saves but was outduelled in the other crease by Connor Ingram's terrific 29-save effort to pick up the win.

"I felt good," Ingram said. "It's starting to feel more normal every time I get out there. Luckily for me, I've been able to play a lot, so you can find a rhythm and just try and stick to it and hold on as long as you can. I thought I felt good today."

Leon Draisaitl added a goal with 35 seconds left in regulation and now has a 20-game point streak against the Blackhawks – the most for any player against any team this season – while becoming the seventh player in NHL history to record multiple point streaks of 20-plus games against a single franchise.

The Oilers have won 10 of their last 11 meetings with the Blackhawks and improved to 23-16-7 this season.

Edmonton will wrap up their Dads Trip and a back-to-back on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

FIRST PERIOD

One-way traffic in the Windy City.

After Connor Ingram made two big saves in an early wake-up call for the Oilers after giving it away in their own zone, it was Spencer Knight in the other crease for the Blackhawks who did everything he could to keep the Oilers off the scoreboard until they capitalized on their hot start through Zach Hyman.

Connor McDavid mishandled a puck in the opening minute that led to two chances for Landon Slaggert and Ilya Mikheyev before it was all Oilers for the remaining 19 minutes of the period, recording an 11-2 advantage in high-danger chances but only leading 1-0 after Knight was solid with nine saves.

Knight came under siege immediately following Ingram's two big early saves, having to make three quick ones of his own when Evan Bouchard's attempt from the right circle led to two chances on the rebound for Trent Frederic, who was a part of an effective fourth line for Edmonton on Monday.

Knight continued to shut down the Oilers with key saves on a one-timer for Vasily Podkolzin and an incredible sprawling glove save against Kasperi Kapanen, who couldn't believe he didn't score to extend his point streak after he was found wide open in front by Leon Draisaitl.

Despite Knight looking locked in for the Blackhawks, the Oilers wouldn't be denied with over six minutes left in the frame when Hyman got his stick to Bouchard's pass at the back post to put away his 12th goal in his last 16 games, with McDavid's helper extending his career-best point streak to 19.

The Oilers were finally able to beat the Chicago netminder for a deserved 1-0 lead heading into the break.

SECOND PERIOD

It continued to be a goalie's duel in Chicago, but Connor Ingram was the one who came up with the bigger saves in the middle frame, where the Oilers outshot the Blackhawks 16-12 and added a goal to their tally on Bouchard's 10th goal of the season only 16 seconds into the period.

After Nugent-Hopkins levelled a one-timer from Bouchard, the defenceman went to the net and battled for the loose puck before throwing it back into the crease from below the goal line, where it went off both skates of Knight and shuffled into the back of the net to give him a goal and an assist on Monday.

"I'd be lying if I said I meant to do that," he said. "I was just trying to get it out front to where I thought one of our guys was. Luckily enough, it went in. "

With three points on Monday, Bouchard is on a five-game point streak (3G, 6A) and now has 12 points (4G, 8A) over his last nine games, along with 45 points (10G, 35A) over his last 40 games for third amongst NHL blueliners in points this season with 45, trailing only Cale Makar (51) and Zach Werenski (47).

"I'm happy with where my game's at," he said. "I've got to work on the defensive side. I think that's the main focus. But when you're playing with guys like Connor and Leon every night, you get them the puck and a lot of times they do the rest. So it's contributions from all five guys on the ice."

The Oilers were lucky to have Ingram make up for a number of their giveaways on Monday that didn't result in any consequence, thanks to their netminder's efforts, continuing when he preserved the 2-0 lead when the puck was poked free to Burakovsky in the Oilers' zone before Ingram made the important stop.

Ingram had only made seven saves when he denied Colton Dach for the first of two high-danger chances past the five-minute mark before making one of his best of the night with a glove stop on his backhand in tight with 9:18 left in the frame.

The Oilers had to kill their first penalty soon after with Mattias Ekholm in the box for slashing, and Ingram had to come up with important saves on Tyler Bertuzzi and Artyom Levshunov, allowing them to escape with their two-goal lead intact after their power play couldn't extend the lead before the break.

With his father Brent cheering him on, Ingram was perfect through 40 minutes with 17 saves and on his way to another quality start.

"I've been away from home since I was 16, so it's been 12 years since my dad drove me to hockey, and it's cool to have him around and ride the bus with them," Ingram said. "They see a lot from the outside, but it's really eye-opening for them, I think, to see what our day-to-day looks like and to see what this life looks like. So it's fun to share it with them, and it's fun to just have them around."

THIRD PERIOD

The Blackhawks did their best to make things interesting.

Despite Ingram preserving his shutout through 40 minutes, the Blackhawks finally broke it up with 5:14 left when the puck popped loose to Wyatt Kaiser before Tyler Bertuzzi was able to bury a rebound to shovel home his 24th goal of the season, making it 2-1 with time left for them to mount a strong push.

"He played really well," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "You think about the first shift of the game, he came up with a couple of big saves there, and then the rest of the game he had some nice saves, but we really relied him on in the third period. In the second period in the penalty kill, there were numerous great ace scoring chances that Chicago had, and he played really well. Unfortunately, we gave up that one at the end, but a great effort by him."

Despite Hyman having a goal overturned for a kick, the Oilers showed their resilience by keeping things steady to hold onto the lead.

"I think that's what good teams do," Ingram said. "You take a look at the track record around here over the last couple of years. This is a team that knows how to win hockey games, so those are games you've got to hold on to and find a way to get it done. I think we did that."

When the Blackhawks pulled Knight for the extra attacker and called their timeout with just under a minute left in regulation, Hyman was able to win the draw cleanly to Bouchard before he iced the victory with a 200-foot clearance into Chicago's net with only 52 seconds on the clock and the Oilers leading 3-1.

"They definitely had their push at the end, three shifts in a row or something like that," Bouchard said. "It was good for us to settle it down and get the insurance marker."

Just seven seconds later, it was Draisaitl who'd take advantage of a turnover by Kaiser in front of the Blackhawks' net for an easy finish to extend his point streak to five games, but his inconsequential goal on Monday helped keep his league-best 20-game point streak against Chicago going.