The Chicago Blackhawks continued their road trip with a stop to play the Anaheim Ducks. In their last meeting, the Hawks pummeled the Ducks 7–2 at the United Center, but the game in Anaheim was a different story. The Hawks went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in this matchup, scratching MacKenzie Entwistle in favor of Jarred Tinordi. Luke Richardson’s thought process was that he needed additional grit on the ice. Tinordi did fight on the third shift of the game, costing the Hawks a rush with the puck on Connor Bedard’s stick.
First period
The first period ended in 0–0 stalemate. The Hawks led in shot attempts 21–19, shots on goal 13–7 and scoring chances 9–8.
Second period
In the second period, Arvid Soderblom’s flaws reared their ugly head. Alex Killorn scored short side on Soderblom to give the Ducks a 1–0 lead. Brett Leason added his 11th goal to give the Ducks a 2–0 lead. Killorn then potted his second goal of the period to give the Ducks a 3–0 lead. Later in the period, Alex Vlasic and Leo Carlsson had an accidental knee-on-knee collision. Carlsson left the game with an injury while Vlasic remained in the game.
Third period
In the third period, Ryan Strome fought Vlasic for the collision with Carlsson. Frank Vatrano scored his 30th goal at the end of a 5-on-3 power play to put the final nail in the Blackhawks’ coffin. The final score was 4–0.
Analysis
It is time to turn the page on Soderblom and give one of their AHL goalies a look. He is still making the same mistakes he has made all season and has allowed four goals in his last three starts. He currently has the worst goals against average in the NHL at 4.02. He currently has the lowest save percentage in the NHL at .876 and has recorded zero shutouts this season. Drew Commesso or Jaxson Stauber can replicate this type of production at the very worst while getting some NHL experience. For Stauber, it might be a reward for becoming the Rockford IceHogs’ franchise leader in consecutive wins. For Commesso, it would be a taste of the NHL and hopefully his first step into becoming an NHL regular down the road.
The Blackhawks’ next game is against the 32nd-place San Jose Sharks in the battle of the worsts on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. CDT.