Ducks snap Blackhawks' 5-game win streak with 4-2 victory
By DAN GREENSPAN | Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Max Jones scored the go-ahead goal, Troy Terry had a goal and an assist, and the Anaheim Ducks beat Chicago 4-2 on Monday night to snap the Blackhawks’ five-game winning streak.
Isac Lundestrom and Jakob Silfverberg also scored, Mason McTavish had a career-high three assists, and the Ducks won their third straight game. Lukas Dostal made 24 saves after losing his previous five starts.
“It’s nice to see us kind of get rewarded,” McTavish said. “I think competing a lot harder, playing with more emotion and a little bit more passion, so it’s nice to see.”
Tyler Johnson had a power-play goal and an assist, and Andreas Athanasiou scored for the Blackhawks, who had been on their longest run of sustained success since winning five in a row in January 2020. Petr Mrazek allowed four goals on 33 shots.
While the Ducks and Blackhawks are both firmly in the mix to win the draft lottery and and select forward Connor Bedard with first overall pick, they are in different stages of their rebuilds.
Terry, whose cheeky sharp-angle chip at 8:15 of the third ensured Anaheim’s second three-game winning streak of the season, acknowledged a young core including McTavish and Trevor Zegras is better equipped to handle uncertainty ahead of the trade deadline on Friday.
“Last year was a lot more change that probably we thought would have happened. … This year, I think we’re just coming to the rink and doing our job,” Terry said.
The Blackhawks continued to clear out their veteran ranks on Monday, trading forward Sam Lafferty and defenseman Jake McCabe to Toronto. A separate transaction sent defenseman Jack Johnson back to Colorado, where he was part of its Stanley Cup championship run last season.
Despite those moves and the likelihood of more to come — notably the expected departure of modern-era franchise icon Patrick Kane — Chicago started out well before fading as the first went on.
A similar regression happened in the second where Athanasiou, another Blackhawks player that could potentially be dealt this week, tied it at 2 midway through the second, only for Jones to give the Ducks a 3-2 lead with 17.5 seconds left in the period.
“We’ve got a lot of new players right now, so we are just going to have to find a new rhythm,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. “But these guys have been resilient, and tonight they pushed right through until the end.”
NICE TO MEET YOU
Joey Anderson was part of the package of four players and draft picks the Blackhawks received from the Maple Leafs, and the 24-year-old forward was thrown right in. He had a minus-2 rating in 11:17 but was pleased with the warm welcome he received from his new teammates.
“They were great,” Anderson said. “Obviously the game didn’t go quite as we would have hoped, but it’s a good group of guys and I’m excited to be a part of it and hopefully build towards something.”
COMING ON
Jones isn't the flashiest member among Anaheim's collection of talented young forwards, but coach Dallas Eakins said he is providing a stability and grit that is allowing McTavish and Terry to shine.
“We want Jonesy to be the conscience of a line,” Eakins said. “He has to be able to give them the freedom to make plays with the puck. Maybe sometimes take an extra chance where they know that he's got them covered.”
WORTH NOTING Blackhawks F Colin Blackwell sustained a groin injury during the game and will miss some time, Richardson said. … Blackhawks F Philipp Kurashev did not play because of a non-COVID-19 illness. ... Blackhawks D Jarred Tinordi returned after missing six games because of a knee injury he sustained at Montreal on Feb. 14. Tinordi was activated off injured reserve earlier on Monday.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: At Arizona on Tuesday.
Ducks: Host Washington on Wednesday. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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