The Chicago Blackhawks visited the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night to conclude a three-game season series. The teams have split the first two wins, so a series victory was on the line going into Saturday’s contest. The Ducks entered the game with a five-game home win streak to protect, and veteran John Gibson returned to the net after a brief period of injury. He was recognized and honored for playing his 500th NHL game.
The Blackhawks were on their last of a three-game road trip and looking for a win before heading home. Arvid Soderblom protected the other end of the ice. Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones was traded to the Florida Panthers just hours before the team took the ice in Anaheim, a trade that the Blackhawks would likely be feeling the effects of throughout the night. Both teams sit near the bottom of the standings, but with Anaheim beginning to find their groove and sitting just six points out of a wild card playoff spot, the ice was seemingly tilted in their favor. However, the Blackhawks had a lot to prove and would ultimately find themselves a dominant force and take a decisive win over the Ducks.
Game Recap
The first period was slow offensively, but relatively evenly matched, with the teams going nearly shot-for-shot– the Ducks finished just on top with 10 shots on goal to the Blackhawks’ eight. The Blackhawks were feeling the loss of Jones, their top power play performer, as they did not capitalize on their first man-advantage that came from a roughing penalty by Ross Johnston. The Ducks were also unable to score on a power play that occurred after a tripping penalty was called against Colton Dach. While there were a handful of good looks and near-goals from both teams, both Gibson and Soderblom were able to stand their ground and keep the game scoreless heading into the first intermission. Ducks’ forward Cutter Gauthier left the game early after being struck in the face with a high stick and returned partway through the second period with stitches.
The second period was a much more offensive 20 minutes, with both teams beginning to capitalize on their grade-A chances. The Blackhawks opened up the game’s scoring with a quick shot from the faceoff dot by Wyatt Kaiser. This was just his second goal of the season, as he was recalled from the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs on Friday. Kaiser was assisted by Teuvo Teravainen and Ilya Mikheyev. The Ducks answered quickly, with Leo Carlsson finding the back of the net less than a minute later and scoring bar down on his backhand. A cross-checking penalty by Drew Helleson put the Blackhawks on the power play once again, and this time, they found a way to use it to their advantage. Pat Maroon snuck one past Gibson, assisted by Lukas Reichel and Alec Martinez, who registered his 200th assist.
Related: Grading Panthers & Blackhawks Blockbuster Seth Jones Trade
Teravainen notched a multi-point game for himself when he fired a wrister past the Ducks’ netminder, assisted by Ryan Donato and TJ Brodie, bringing the Blackhawks up by a pair of goals. The two-goal lead did not last long, though, as Jackson LaCombe created a five-game scoring streak for himself when he chipped the puck over the leg of Soderblom and scored from in close. Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano assisted on the goal. Despite the score, the Ducks had more control of the puck throughout the second period, with 11 shots on goal compared to Chicago’s eight. The Blackhawks headed into the locker room with a narrow one-goal lead -there was work to be done from both teams.
Dach took his third minor penalty of the game three minutes into the third period, giving the Ducks a man-advantage once again, but Chicago was able to kill off the penalty and score quickly afterward. Lukas Reichel had a breakaway and beat Gibson to the post, reinstalling his team’s two-goal lead and showcasing a multi-point performance. Reichel was assisted by Craig Smith and Alec Martinez, another multi-point player in Saturday’s game.
Down two goals, the Ducks had a big deficit to overcome, made even more difficult when they took two minor penalties on the same play. A tripping penalty by Alex Killorn and cross-checking against Radko Gudas allowed the Blackhawks to play five-on-three. Donato made the best of the situation and scored, increasing the Blackhawks’ lead to three goals. Donato’s goal was his 20th of the season and was assisted by Tyler Bertuzzi and Alex Vlasic.
With just under 10 minutes left in the game, Chicago’s Craig Smith went down the tunnel after being taken down by Alex Killorn. Proving himself to be the offensive hero of the game, Donato crashed the net once again and brought the Blackhawks up 6-2, assisted by Teravainen. With a four-goal gap to overcome, Carlsson kicked it into high gear and notched his second goal of the game for the Ducks after a feed by Brian Dumoulin. It was too little, too late, however, and the Blackhawks took the decisive 6-3 victory and won the season series as they finished off their road trip.
The Blackhawks will face the Los Angeles Kings at home on Monday, while the Ducks will visit the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and look for a road win.
