Recap
The Blackhawks lost to the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Wednesday night. They will return home and play the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.
The game would get off to a fast and furious start as the Ducks took it to the Blackhawks early on. The Ducks would get on the board 1:24 into the game. Peter Holland would get his third goal of the season when he scored on a shot that trickled past Corey Crawford after a bad clearing attempt by the Hawks. The Hawks would then take what could have been a costly penalty giving the Ducks a power play three minutes into the period. However, the Hawks would answer on the penalty kill when Jonathan Toews made a supreme effort. After blocking a shot, Toews would take the puck into the zone on a breakaway and muscle around defenders and Jonas Hiller to even the score. The rest of the period featured play mostly in the Hawks zone as Anaheim dominated the play in shots and physically. Anaheim outshot the Hawks 11-5 and outhit them 18-8 in the first period.
It was more of the same for the Hawks through the first half of the second period as the Ducks were outplaying the Hawks. But slowly the Hawks would start to assert themselves offensively as they piled up the scoring chances. The Hawks would break the tie at 11:54 of the second period on the power play. Nick Leddy would fire a slap shot that found the top left corner of the net for his fourth goal of the season. The Hawks would limit the Ducks chances in the second period by utilizing their puck possession game and dominating the pace of the game. The Hawks outshot the Ducks 11-7 in the second period.
The third period would again feature up and down action. It appeared that the Hawks extended their lead when Brand Bollig put the puck in the net. However, it was correctly ruled that he had made a distinct kicking motion and the goal was disallowed. The Ducks would tie the game at 14:33 of the third period when Crawford couldn’t corral a shot by Ryan Getzlaf. The rebound kicked out to the crease and Bobby Ryan put it into the net. Then just 64 seconds later, the Ducks would take the lead for good. After the Hawks failed to get the puck out of their zone again, Getzlaf found Teemu Selanne on a 2 on 1 and he beat Crawford for the lead. The Ducks would dominate the last few minutes and get their final goal on an empty netter by Sheldon Souray.
What it means
The Hawks end their four game road trip at 3-1-0 taking six points. They will now return home for a three game home trip that will end with these same Ducks in what could be a game for control of the Western Conference. After four games in seven nights, the Hawks will now have five days until their next game.
3 stars of the game
3. Teemu Selanne- The Finnish Flash had another clutch moment as he scored the game winner. That was his 670th goal of his career. His speed helped create the two on one and gave the Ducks two crucial points.
2. Jonathan Toews- Toews had a great game and road trip. He has now scored a goal in three straight games. His goal was a one man effort shorthanded as he outworked everyone on the ice. His effort also drew the penalty that led to the Hawks power play goal. Toews won 9 of 15 faceoffs as well.
1. Ryan Getzlaf- Getzlaf looks to be every bit deserving of his $66 million extension that he received last week. He had two assists on the game tying goal and game winner. Getzlaf was credited with 2 hits and had a great game as he dominated the third period.
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