Following an emotional 5-4 comeback shootout win over the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, the Anaheim Ducks went on the road for a brief back-to-back trip, starting with the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon.

The Ducks entered this game tied at the top of the Pacific Division with the Kings and hoping to put some distance between themselves and their rival. 

The Blackhawks came into this game on a five-game winless streak and hoping to remain above .500.

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The Ducks went with the same lineup that earned them their win over LA. However, they might be close to getting an added boost, as forward Mikael Granlund skated on his own after practice on Saturday, potentially indicating a nearing return.

Petr Mrazek got the start for the Ducks. Lukas Dostal is sidelined for the next 2-3 weeks with an upper-body injury. Mrazek exited this game midway through the third period with an apparent lower-body injury and after having stopped 13 of 16 shots. He was relieved by Ville Husso, who let in the only shot he faced in this game.

Spencer Knight got the start for the Hawks, at the other end, and saved 23 of 26 shots. 

Game Notes

This was perhaps the most unfortunate loss of the season for Anaheim, a team in relatively uncharted waters this late in the season, given their position in the standings and needing to earn points against teams like Chicago, which are on the playoff bubble. Early in the contest, it looked like it was trending that way for the Ducks after controlling play for the first ten minutes of the hockey game and jumping out to a three-goal lead. 

Once again, the team played mostly within themselves, exchanging some chances, splitting possession fairly evenly, but a few judgement errors led to quality chances and goals for Chicago (two on the power play and two at 5v5). Chicago tightened down their end and played low-event hockey, capitalizing on costly mistakes from their opponent. Anaheim has to learn how to win games like this, where they possess a big lead, as much as they do when it comes to tight contests. The best teams find ways to win.

Rush Defense: Anaheim’s rush defense was a significant positive in this game, after it had been hit-and-miss for most of the season to date. Backcheckers were more thoughtful in their routes back into their end, looking for trailers instead of focusing on the puck carriers. The weak side defensemen were the standouts, more active and aware off the puck, and continuously broke up connecting neutral zone passes. 

Jackson LaCombe: With his contract soon to become that of the 12th-highest-paid defenseman in the NHL, a more consistent, less mistake-prone effort will be needed from the Ducks’ #1 defenseman. He’s walked the tightrope between casual and poised in his output for most of the season, but tipped toward the casual side in this game. 

He could have used a bit more of a sense of urgency retrieving pucks and evading an F1 pressure, but his most significant gaffe came on what became the Hawks game-winning goal, where he left the front of the net to join a rush, a rush that was broken up at the defensive blueline and left one of the most dangerous players in the world (Connor Bedard) open with time and space at the goal mouth to pot home the go-ahead tally.

Special Teams: This game was fairly even, all things said and done, at 5v5, and came down to who was better on special teams. Anaheim gave up two goals on the power play, one against a rush where all four killers faded to the carrier after entry, and one where Tyler Bertuzzi was able to remain in front of Mrazek, untouched, and tip home a perimeter shot attempt. Switching between defensemen and tying up that net-front presence will need to be refined from Anaheim. 

After a decent showing in their two attempts against LA on Friday, the Ducks’ power play had a more difficult time keeping pucks moving and off the walls in their three attempts against Chicago. Specifically, Cutter Gauthier got caught a few times with his back to the middle of the ice and snuggled to make a connecting pass when his first two outs were covered. He’s made a lot of significant strides in maintaining possession with the puck on his stick at 5v5 this season and will need to translate those efforts to the man-advantage. 

Ryan Strome: Despite his fourth-line deployment and 13:33 TOI, Strome made a positive impact against Chicago’s bottom six. With him on the ice at 5v5, the Ducks won the shot attempt battle 14-4, the shots on goal battle 7-3, and held 74.95% of the expected goals share. He drove his line on both the rush and cycle, playing off of and reading how his linemates, Ross Johnston and Frank Vatrano, influenced play on the forecheck, and was a quality F3 presence. 

The Ducks will do their best to erase the last 50 minutes of this game from their memory, as they will get right back on the ice on Monday to match up against the St. Louis Blues on the road. 

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