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Blackhawks win fifth straight with nine-goal effort

EDMONTON, Alberta -- The streaking Chicago Blackhawks stormed into Edmonton and handed the Oilers one of the most embarrassing losses in team history.

Troy Brouwer had two goals and an assist, and Chicago routed the Oilers 9-2 on Tuesday night for its fifth straight victory. The last time the Blackhawks won five in a row was during the 2001-02 season, also the last season they made the playoffs.

"We're an unbelievable team," Brouwer said. "We're young and we've got a lot of heart on this team and we know we're good. I think that's what really makes us even better is that we go out there and know we can win every night."

Patrick Kane added a goal and two assists for Chicago, which improved to 6-5-3 on the road and 6-0-1 in its last seven games overall. Duncan Keith, Colin Fraser, Brian Campbell, Kris Versteeg, Ben Eager and Craig Adams also scored.

Edmonton gave up nine goals in a game for the first time since a 9-4 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 28, 1992.

"It was humiliating," Sheldon Souray said. "It was a real poor effort. They pretty much exposed us in every area of the game. They took it to us all over the place. All the way around we got outplayed. It's been a long time since I have been part of a game like that."

Shawn Horcoff and Marc Pouliot scored for the Oilers, who have lost two of three.

The seven-goal margin of defeat tied a franchise record for home games. The other two seven-goal losses also came to Chicago, one in 1992 and the other in 1995.

"That's an embarrassing number of goals," Edmonton assistant captain Shawn Horcoff said. "We just weren't ready. There wasn't one area of the game where we were effective at all tonight. We weren't ready off the start and our penalty killing was back to where it has been and where we don't want it to be."

The Blackhawks went 4-for-5 on the power play, with Kane, Campbell, Brouwer and Adams all converting a chance. Chicago is 15-4-6 since coach Joel Quenneville took over for Denis Savard behind the bench.

"It's been a fun little run we're on right now," Quenneville said. "I think it's a good group. I think they care for one another and I think that's important, and beginning with that is a good foundation."

Chicago scored five times in the second period to take a 7-1 lead. After Horcoff's power-play goal got Edmonton within two, Brouwer converted a rebound for a power-play goal and Versteeg sent a shot through Mathieu Garon's legs from in close to make it 5-1 at 12:26.

Dwayne Roloson then replaced Garon but didn't fare much better. Eager scored with 4:06 left in the second and Brouwer added his fifth of the season to make it 7-1.

The Oilers scored an own goal while short-handed 5 minutes into the third when defenseman Tom Gilbert managed to direct the puck into his own net on a goal credited to Keith.

"We really wanted to come out and have a good first game on the road because we have three here before Christmas," Brouwer said. "Just get the first one out here and get on a roll for the next two."

Chicago heads to Calgary to play the Flames on Friday.

The Oilers were glad to get out of town following the drubbing, making a quick trip to play in Vancouver on Wednesday.

"We have to somehow get our energy back up and try to duplicate the game we had against Vancouver our last game at home," captain Ethan Moreau said. "There is going to be a lot of questions going into tomorrow because of our effort tonight, but we have an opportunity to play well tomorrow. As bad as it was tonight we have to leave it here. That's how we'll be evaluated, by how we respond."

Game notes
Blackhawks D James Wisniewski made his season debut following knee surgery and had three assists. Wisniewski scored a hat trick Saturday while on a conditioning stint with Rockford of the AHL. ... It was the 125th consecutive regular-season sellout in Edmonton.