The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t scored more than one goal in regulation since a visit to Anaheim on Nov. 3.
Will Tuesday’s visit from the Ducks remedy an ailing attack? Chicago certainly hopes so.
Outscored 15-6 while losing four of their past five games, the Blackhawks return home searching for a spark. A brief road trip to Seattle and Vancouver left little to be desired offensively.
Ilya Mikeheyev scored 6:50 into the game against the Canucks on Saturday but the Blackhawks couldn’t sustain momentum in a 4-1 defeat.
“Our quality scoring chances were up,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “Just can’t find the back of the net. Lack of drawing penalties, too. We can’t seem to get enough chances there, which would probably help a little bit in production.”
Calder Trophy recipient Connor Bedard has been especially eager to contribute. While he leads Chicago in both assists (10) and points (13), Bedard is seeking his first goal since Oct. 26 against the Dallas Stars.
He has collected just four points in nine games since, including three assists during the Blackhawks’ 4-2 win at Anaheim.
Philipp Kurashev, Chicago’s second-leading scorer from the 2023-24 season, has just four points this season while Teuvo Teravainen has one point in his past 13 games.
“We have to just start looking at the simple part of our game, (so) that can add more offense,” Richardson said. “I don’t think we’re a team built yet to open it up and go back and forth, like Edmonton or Colorado can.”
Anaheim has won three of four after earning a 4-2 road victory against the Stars on Monday night.
Defenseman Olen Zellweger put the Ducks on the board just 56 seconds into the game while Brett Leason added a goal at 5:44. The flurry helped Anaheim play with greater confidence behind goaltender Lukas Dostal, who made 34 saves.
“We came out, we played a solid, 200-foot game, kept pucks going north. And I thought that’s why we had a 2-0 lead after the first 10 minutes,” said Cutter Gauthier, who had a goal and assist. “The more we do that to start off games, the better it’s going to be for us moving forward.”
Brock McGinn left the game for the Ducks with a lower-body injury, but Anaheim showed its forward depth to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Leason added two assists for his first career three-point game.
“Kind of just play as hard as I can every day. Just do the simple things. Do everything correctly,” he said. “Do everything that coach asks of me. Give it my all, pretty much.”
Taylor Hall assisted on two goals in the first meeting between the Blackhawks and Ducks but was a healthy scratch against Vancouver. Hall said the move “surprised” him, but he expects to face the Ducks after speaking with Richardson.
“I just want to play better and be better for our team,” Hall said.
After Tuesday, the Blackhawks and Ducks won’t meet again until March 1, when they conclude the season series in Anaheim.
–Field Level Media
