Philipp Kurashev scored on the power play in the second period to support a 37-save shutout from Petr Mrazek as the host Chicago Blackhawks edged the Anaheim Ducks 1-0 on Thursday.
Chicago snapped a four-game losing streak while keeping the Ducks skidding.
Anaheim fell to 1-10 in its past 11 games, with Thursday marking the fifth one-goal defeat over that span. The Ducks outshot the Blackhawks 37-25 but were unable to solve Mrazek, who notched his first shutout of the season and 25th of his career.
The Ducks had the better of possession time and offensive-zone time for much of the night, staying afloat behind a solid effort from goaltender Lukas Dostal. The Blackhawks managed just one shot on goal in the third period but did enough to draw even in the first two games of a four-game homestand thanks in large part to Mrazek.
Brett Leason and Troy Terry both had five shots on goal for the Ducks.
Joey Anderson and Connor Bedard each had three shots for Chicago, which, on the heels of Tuesday’s shootout loss to Nashville, has collected points in consecutive games for the first time this season.
The Blackhawks continued their recent run of dominance against the Ducks at United Center, improving to 6-0-1 in the clubs’ past seven meetings in Chicago.
It wasn’t easy, however.
Chicago was unsuccessful on a pair of first-period power plays but also held the Anaheim man advantage at bay, killing two Ducks penalties through the first two periods and three overall.
After scoring just three power-play goals at home to start the season, the Blackhawks finally cashed in when the Ducks’ Tristan Luneau was whistled for a double minor for high-sticking at 13:07 of the second period.
After gathering a pass from Tyler Johnson, Bedard drew a defender and found Kurashev streaking through the slot for a one-timer at 9:21.
Chicago’s Jason Dickinson briefly left the game early in the first period with an apparent upper-body injury after being shoved near center ice.
The Blackhawks failed to score multiple goals at home for the second time in 11 tries this season.
–Field Level Media
