Edmonton Oilers' Matt Savoie (22) and Zach Hyman (18) celebrate a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during second period NHL action, in Edmonton on Thursday April 2, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

By The Canadian Press

Oilers top Blackhawks 3-1 to eliminate Chicago from playoff contention

Apr 2, 2026 | 9:08 PM

EDMONTON — Matthew Savoie scored the winner as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 for their season-high fifth victory in a row Thursday.

Edmonton tied Anaheim for top spot in the Pacific Division with 87 points, looking to win its first divisional title since 1987 — the longest drought in NHL history.

Adam Henrique and Vasily Podkolzin also scored for the Oilers (39-28-9), who have won seven of their last nine. Edmonton is now 29-5-5 when scoring first.

The Oilers are on a strong run without star forward Leon Draisaitl, out for the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury.

Nick Lardis replied for the Blackhawks (27-35-14), who were eliminated from playoff contention for the sixth straight season with a fifth consecutive loss.

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Tristan Jarry recorded 17 saves to earn the win for Edmonton, while Spencer Knight made 31 stops for Chicago. Arvid Soderblom made four saves and allowed one goal while Knight dealt with an equipment issue.

Takeaways

Blackhawks: Forward Anton Frondell was held off the scoresheet for just the second time in his brief career. The third overall draft pick in 2025 recently joined the Hawks from the Swedish Hockey League and has five points in his first six games.

Oilers: Rookie forward Savoie continues to impress since joining Connor McDavid on the top line and first power play, while serving on the penalty kill. He now has four goals in the last five games and 14 points in his last 18.

Key moment

The Oilers finally got the scoring started 5:32 into the second period as Jack Roslovic sprung Henrique on a clear breakaway. Henrique’s initial shot was stopped but he sent the rebound into the net on the backhand for his third of the season and first goal in 50 games, dating back to Oct. 23.

Key stat

McDavid saw his goal-scoring streak end at five games, but picked up an assist to extend his point streak to six games, totalling 11 during that stretch. McDavid is two points ahead of Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov for the NHL scoring lead.

Up next

Blackhawks: Visit the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.

Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2026.

Shane Jones, The Canadian Press