Chicago 3, Anaheim 2
When: 4:00 PM ET, Friday, November 25, 2016
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Referees:
Tom Chmielewski, Kevin Pollock
Linesmen:
Shane Heyer, Steve Miller
Attendance:
17174
By The Sports Xchange
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Without their captain and one of their best all-around players, the Chicago Blackhawks registered perhaps their best performance of their longest road trip of the season.
Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist to lead the Blackhawks to a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday in front of a sellout crowd of 17,174 at the Honda Center.
Chicago center Jonathan Toews missed his first game of the season because of an upper-body injury he suffered when he hit the boards awkwardly in Wednesday night's 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks.
"He's a tough player to lose," Kane said. "There's more importance on the way you play every shift, whether it's myself or anyone on the team."
Yet without Toews, the Hawks built a 3-0 lead, their first during their seven-game road trip.
"We had more looks and got our chemistry back," Kane said about his line. "We did a great job getting that 3-0 lead and actually playing with a lead for once."
Artem Anisimov and rookie Ryan Hartman each added a goal, Brent Seabrook contributed two assists and goalie Corey Crawford stopped 34 shots as the Blackhawks (14-6-2) broke a two-game losing streak.
Nick Ritchie and Jakob Silfverberg scored for the Ducks (9-8-4), who got 22 saves from goalie John Gibson in their third successive loss and fourth in six games.
"We just have to find a way to get ourselves over the top," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "We're going to focus on the process. What are we doing? What are we giving ourselves? How are we hurting ourselves so that we're giving up two-goal and three-goal deficits?"
Anisimov had a chance to score his ninth goal of the season 30 seconds into the game but Gibson used his stick to block Anisimov's backhand on a breakaway. Yet 11 minutes later, Anisimov beat Gibson to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.
Seabrook began the scoring sequence with a pass from the left corner in the Blackhawks' zone that freed Kane for a 2-on-1 breakaway. Gibson blocked Kane's shot with his left leg pad while falling, but the puck bounced over Gibson's left leg and Anisimov poked it into the net at 11:31.
Anisimov's goal elicited a loud roar of approval from the large contingent of Chicago fans, whose chants of "Let's go, Hawks!" often overwhelmed simultaneous cries of "Let's go, Ducks!"
Silfverberg nearly tied the score 45 seconds into the second period but his wrist shot from the left circle hit the left post. Six minutes later, Kane gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead.
Kane one-timed a rising slap shot from the right circle during a power play for his seventh goal of the season and the 258th of his career at 6:47. The winner of last season's Art Ross and Hart Memorial trophies tied Hall of Famer Bill Mosienko for eighth place on the team's all-time goal-scoring list.
"We've been trying to find that scoring touch early," Hartman said. "Having possessions is one of the main keys, and we were able to do that from the start. That's the team we are. That's how we're going to score goals."
Hartman's fifth goal extended the advantage to 3-0. After Marcus Kruger deflected an attempted clearance from Ducks defenseman Shea Theodore, the puck slid to Hartman, who converted a wrist shot from the left circle at 15:40.
"That was a big play, good play recognition," said Hawks coach Joel Quenneville, who then praised Hartman. "I thought he had an excellent game, not just the goal. He gives us a little abrasiveness and that presence in the puck areas."
But 10 seconds later, Ritchie ended Crawford's bid for a shutout by firing a wrist shot from the top of the slot off the inside of the left post for his fifth goal.
Anaheim's Ondrej Kase appeared to score at 5:34 of the third period. But officials disallowed the goal because the puck deflected off Kase's left hand into the net. Silfverberg, however, narrowed the deficit by skating behind the net and stuffing the puck inside the left post for his seventh goal at 8:51.
"It's a game of mistakes," Ducks center Antoine Vermette said. "When you're facing a good team and you go off-track a little bit, they get emphasized because they make you pay."
NOTES: Chicago scratched LW Andrew Desjardins, D Michal Kempny and C Jonathan Toews. ... Blackhawks RW Marian Hossa needs four assists for 600 in his career. He is three shy of tying Alex Kovalev for 83rd on the all-time list. ... Anaheim scratched RW Jared Boll and D Korbinian Holzer. ... Ducks D Sami Vatanen returned to the lineup after missing the final two periods of Tuesday night's game against the New York Islanders because of the flu. ... Ducks RW Logan Shaw played his first game for the team since being acquired Nov. 16 from the Florida Panthers. Shaw was recalled from San Diego (AHL) on Thursday.
Top Game Performances
Chicago |
|
Anaheim |
Patrick Kane 2 |
Points |
Nick Ritchie 1 |
Patrick Kane 1 |
Goals |
Nick Ritchie 1 |
Brent Seabrook 2 |
Assists |
Andrew Cogliano 1 |
Patrick Kane 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Corey Crawford .944 |
Save Percentage |
John Gibson .880 |
Corey Crawford 34 |
Saves |
John Gibson 22 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Chicago
|
25 |
3 |
1-2 |
2-2 |
4 |
18 |
Anaheim
|
36 |
2 |
0-2 |
1-2 |
4 |
49 |
Upcoming Games
-
Anaheim will play their next game on the road against San Jose. The Ducks have a W/L % of .300 after a win and .545 after a loss.
-
Chicago will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .615 after a win and .667 after a loss.