f negotiations than we are now, and I was confident then. Im hopeful ra

EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Edmonton Oilers hope they are finally out of their funk.Leon Draisaitl scored twice and Cam Talbot made 31 saves for his third shutout of the season, helping Edmonton beat the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks 5-0 on Monday night.Theyve been playing some good hockey lately so its not an easy team to shut out by any means, Talbot said. We played a great team game. Thats a huge statement win for us tonight.Oscar Klefbom, Andrej Sekera and Anton Slepyshev also scored for the Oilers, who have won two straight since ending a five-game skid.Connor McDavid had two assists to move into the NHL scoring lead with 24 points in 20 games.Theyve been playing really well and for us to get a win like that is definitely big for the confidence moving forward, McDavid said. Weve been able to snap out of a bit of a funk and were looking to go on a run now. Once you get out of one of those, it is important you take off from there.The 19-year-old McDavid set up a goal 2:39 in by skating the length of the ice before centering the puck for Klefbom, who blasted a shot past Crawford.McDavid also assisted late in the first when Draisaitl tipped in Klefboms shot from the point on a power play for a 2-0 lead.Corey Crawford made 22 saves in the loss as the Blackhawks had a two-game winning streak snapped.That wasnt our team, it was a tough loss and we just have to forget about it and worry about the next game, Crawford said. I dont take anything away from this one. We created a few good chances, but it was one of those games where nothing was going right.Talbot kept Chicago from getting on the board four minutes into the second when he stopped Duncan Keith on a point-blank power-play shot.Sekera scored on a long wrist shot with just 7.6 seconds left in the second shortly after a power play expired to make it 3-0.Edmonton took a 4-0 lead seven minutes into the third period when Slepyshevs deceptive shot from a bad angle handcuffed Crawford.Draisaitl scored his second of the game late in the third on the power play to put the game away.Thats the closest weve come to a complete game, Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. Its a really good sign for our team going forward.Game notes It was the first of three games between the two teams this season. Chicago swept the season series last year, with McDavid missing all three contests for the Oilers due to injury. ... Despite their 13-5-2 record, the Blackhawks were last in the NHL on the penalty kill at just 69.5 percent coming into the game. ... Veterans Benoit Pouliot, Mark Letestu and Eric Gryba remained healthy scratches for the Oilers. ... The lone injury listed for Chicago is Trevor van Riemsdyk (upper body), while Edmonton is still without Iiro Pakarinen (knee), Brandon Davidson (upper body) and Mark Fayne (lower body).UP NEXTBlackhawks: Play the fifth in a season-high seven-game road trip in San Jose on Wednesday night.Oilers: Start a two-game trip at Colorado on Wednesday night. Cheap Custom Jerseys . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Custom Arizona Cardinals Jerseys . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. http://www.jerseyscustom.us/ . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Wholesale Custom Jerseys Authentic . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Custom San Francisco 49ers Jerseys . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Talks for a much-mooted fight between Amir Khan and Kell Brook are underway, says Eddie Hearn, though the promoter says there is still a very, very long way to go before an agreement is made.For the first time, however, Hearn is adamant there is a real desire from both fighters to finally secure a date.Matchrooms Hearn is exploring a possible fight between the two -- which would be Britains biggest outside of the heavyweight division -- for May 2017.After years of Brook aggressively pursuing his rival, Khan recently became the aggressor on Twitter when, in a post referring to the IBF welterweight champion, he wrote: Ready when you are.Hearn believes Brooks recent fight with Gennady Golovkin has grown his profile to the extent Khan is finally tempted to face him, but has also stressed that previous negotiations have progressed further than the present ones without actually succeeding.Khan recognises the size of the fight, hes up for the challenge, Hearn said.Kells value has increased considerably, and there seems to be a real desire from both sides to get it done, but weve been here before.Weve held talks before, but theres never been the calling out from Amir that there is now, so thats why I say there seems a real desire from both sides. Not just both sides but both fighters.Theres a very, very long way to go, but well work quietly behind closed doors to try to finally get a fight over the line that I believe has to happenn.ddddddddddddIts still early days. Weve been further down the road before in terms of negotiations than we are now, and I was confident then. Im hopeful rather than confident. But when both fighters are calling each other out, its always a good sign.One possible reason Khan, 30, could be tempted is the likelihood Brook will struggle to return to the 147 pound welterweight limit having challenged Golovkin at middleweight.In Khans past fight, against Canelo Alvarez, was also fought at middleweight. Like Brook, he was stopped, but unlike Brook he has no history of struggling to make 147 pounds.Hearn insists Brook, also 30, planned to return to welterweight regardless, perhaps to defend his title against Americas Errol Spence, and that both the fighter and those around him are confident he can still make weight.When we had our meeting a couple of weeks ago the plan was very much I dont want to vacate my title, therefore Im staying at welterweight, Hearn said.Hes spoken to a nutritionist, to his team, and we feel like he can make welterweight. Can he be as effective as at 154 pounds? We dont know, but he can make welterweight.This was all so he could fight Errol Spence, before the Khan fight looked possible.Khans a big name, has a high profile. There are other options for him as there are for Brook. ' ' '