Anaheim Ducks (24–30–9) vs Chicago Blackhawks (26–28–9)
9:00pm CST
Honda Center
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN
PROJECTED STARTERS
Chicago – Corey Crawford (6-14-2, SV%: .902, GAA: 3.28)
Anaheim – Ryan Miller (6–3–1, SV%: .929, GAA: 2.36)
TEAM STATISTICS
Power Play
Chicago (22.3%, 7th)
Anaheim (15.1%, 28th)
Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.3%, 31st)
Anaheim (80.5%, 14th)
Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.1, 14th; 35.2, 30th)
Anaheim (27.7, 31st; 33.7, 28th)
Shooting %
Chicago (10.4%, 8th)
Anaheim (7.8%, 31st)
Faceoff %
Chicago (49.6%, T18th)
Anaheim (52.0%, 4th)
Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Anaheim 6’2” 203lbs
PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS
Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun
Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dylan Sikura
Chris Kunitz–Marcus Kruger–John Hayden
Slater Koekkoek–Erik Gustafsson
Rickard Rakell–Derek Grant–Corey Perry
Max Jones–Adam Henrique–Troy Terry
Devin Shore–Sam Steel–Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie–Ryan Kesler–Carter Rowney
Analysis
After a quiet trade deadline, the Chicago Blackhawks bring back a nearly identical roster from last game to take on the Ducks in Anaheim. The Blackhawks left four very big points on the table over the weekend after losses to the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. The Blackhawks’ playoff hopes have dwindled substantially over the last two games.
With no significant moves made at the deadline, the Blackhawks made one addition to the roster, and no, not Spencer Watson. The Blackhawks activated Corey Crawford from the IR on Monday, subsequently sending goaltender Collin Delia down to the Rockford IceHogs. Head Coach Jeremy Colliton said Crawford will play at some point in the road trip, but did not explicitly say which game. It’s safe to say that Cam Ward sees the game vs the Ducks and Crawford may draw on Saturday against the Kings.
The Ducks had a very active deadline, however as sellers. The Ducks traded defenseman Brandon Montour to the Buffalo Sabres, returning a first-round pick in 2019 and defenseman Brendan Guhle. The Ducks also dealt Michael Del Zotto to the St. Louis Blues for a sixth-round pick.
The Ducks are a very depleted team. Injuries to Ryan Getzlaf, John Gibson and Ondrej Kase have certainly hurt the Ducks chances at having a successful season. However, after the firing of Randy Carlyle, the historic skid where the Ducks lost 20 of 22 games, and an aging core, the Ducks were due for a rebuild. The Ducks have a shot to land either Kaapo Kakko or Jack Hughes and hopefully make a difference for the team next season. The Ducks have numerous quality young players on the way, including Sam Steel, Max Jones and Troy Terry, all of which are seeing NHL time after the all of the injuries the Ducks’ roster has sustained.
Despite the Blackhawks opponent being a bunch of wounded Ducks (pun fully intended), this is a game the Blackhawks cannot afford to lose if they want any chance at making the playoffs as we approach the month of March.