LetsGoDucks Archives - The Rink https://www.the-rink.com/tag/letsgoducks/ Chicago Blackhawks and NHL Salary Cap Information Sun, 02 Mar 2025 16:33:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://i0.wp.com/www.the-rink.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/cropped-FavIcon_v3.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 LetsGoDucks Archives - The Rink https://www.the-rink.com/tag/letsgoducks/ 32 32 136660061 RECAP: Blackhawks take season series, win 6–3 in Anaheim https://www.the-rink.com/recap-blackhawks-take-season-series-win-6-3-in-anaheim/ https://www.the-rink.com/recap-blackhawks-take-season-series-win-6-3-in-anaheim/#respond Sun, 02 Mar 2025 16:33:49 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=33137 The Chicago Blackhawks visited the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night in their finale to their season series. They were looking to get off of the five-game slide and start stringing... Read more »

The post RECAP: Blackhawks take season series, win 6–3 in Anaheim appeared first on The Rink.

]]> The Chicago Blackhawks visited the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night in their finale to their season series. They were looking to get off of the five-game slide and start stringing a few wins together. Having just traded Seth Jones earlier in the night, this would be their first game without him in the lineup after three and a half years with the team. TJ Brodie would check into the lineup to replace him, with Arvid Soderblom getting the start in net. Lukas Reichel would get back into the lineup to replace Philipp Kurashev, with Andreas Athanasiou checking in for Nick Foligno.

First period

Neither team got any goals in the first. The Blackhawks put eight shots on net, while the Ducks managed 10. Two minors each from Ross Johnston and Colton Dach were the penalties in the period, with neither team doing anything on the man advantage. We would head to the second still scoreless.

Second period

We almost made it to the midpoint of the game before either team put a goal in the back of the net. Wyatt Kaiser managed to sneak through the Anaheim defense from the point. He put a shot past John Gibson, making it 1–0 Blackhawks. The Ducks got that goal back almost as quickly as it was scored, with Leo Carlsson putting a beautiful backhander over the glove of Soderblom, knotting things up at 1–1.

The Blackhawks got a power play on a Drew Helleson cross-check of Connor Bedard. The Blackhawks would take care of business on the man advantage, with Pat Maroon taking a pass from Reichel and tucking it home to make it 2–1 Blackhawks.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Then, a few minutes later, after Brodie and Ryan Donato dug the puck out of the corner, it came out in front to Teuvo Teravainen. He made no mistake and buried a wrister past Gibson, 3–1 Chicago.

The Ducks would get one back before the period was out. Jackson LaCombe tipped a Ryan Strome shot in front and then cleaned up the rebound himself. We would go to the intermission with the Blackhawks carrying a 3–2 lead.

Third period

After killing off another Dach penalty, the Blackhawks were on the break. Reichel got the puck from Craig Smith and got in all alone on Gibson. He tucked the puck stick side, giving the Blackhawks a 4–2 lead.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Just about three minutes later, with the Blackhawks having a two-man advantage, they would strike again. Donato picked up a bouncing puck in front of the net and put it behind Gibson. Just over three minutes later, he would do it again. This time, he got in on the breakaway and juked Gibson out of his skates making it 6–2 Chicago.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The Ducks would get one back just over six minutes later with another goal by Carlsson, but it would not be enough as the Blackhawks cruised to a 6–3 victory.

Analysis

The Blackhawks looked re-energized in this game. Without the drag of a player who clearly did not want to be on the team anymore, they were able to play like a cohesive unit, taking care of business in almost all aspects of the game. For a young team, a few defensive lapses will still happen, as at least two of the Ducks’ goals would suggest, but they were able to take advantage of a few of their own to get a couple of pucks past the Ducks’ netminder. Donato continues to increase his trade value with a goal and two assists. Reichel had a game that will make it tough to bench him again for at least a couple of games now, with a beautiful goal on the breakaway and an otherwise steady performance in this game.

The one area that definitely needs improvement is the faceoff dot. You cannot win less than 40% of your draws and expect that to go well most nights. You can get out-hit and the other team can have more shot blocks than you, but if you are not maintaining possession in the most straightforward way possible, it is going to be tough to compete many nights in this league.

The Blackhawks are next up against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night in Chicago. That game will be at 7:30 p.m. CST on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks take season series, win 6–3 in Anaheim appeared first on The Rink.

]]> https://www.the-rink.com/recap-blackhawks-take-season-series-win-6-3-in-anaheim/feed/ 0 33137 RECAP: Bedard tallies pair of helpers in Hawks’ 3–2 loss to Anaheim https://www.the-rink.com/recap-bedard-tallies-pair-of-helpers-in-hawks-3-2-loss-to-anaheim/ https://www.the-rink.com/recap-bedard-tallies-pair-of-helpers-in-hawks-3-2-loss-to-anaheim/#respond Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:00:28 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=32306 The Chicago Blackhawks returned to the United Center on Tuesday night to face the Anaheim Ducks following two straight road losses in Seattle and Vancouver. Looking to find some consistency... Read more »

The post RECAP: Bedard tallies pair of helpers in Hawks’ 3–2 loss to Anaheim appeared first on The Rink.

]]> The Chicago Blackhawks returned to the United Center on Tuesday night to face the Anaheim Ducks following two straight road losses in Seattle and Vancouver. Looking to find some consistency on offense, Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson shook up his lines, including moving Connor Bedard to the wing with Jason Dickinson at center and Joey Anderson on the other side. The Hawks started Arvid Soderblom in net against Anaheim’s John Gibson. For the Hawks, Drew Commesso was called up from Rockford earlier in the day with Petr Mrazek unavailable due to a personal matter.

First period

It was not until late in the first for the new first line to pay off, as Bedard set up Dickinson for his third of the season to give the Hawks a 1–0 lead. Bedard took the puck from TJ Brodie at the blue line, skated into the deep slot and made a tape-to-tape pass to Dickinson in the left circle, who one-timed a shot past Gibson at 17:03.

A little over two minutes later, the Ducks tied it on a goal by Pavel Mintyukov. Brett Leason stole the puck from Brodie in the left circle and he made a cross-ice pass to Mintyukov, who buried a one-timer to tie it at 1–1 at 19:05. The game remained tied after 20 minutes.

Second period

The Hawks regained the lead at 2–1 when Bedard fed Dickinson for his second of the game and fourth of the season. Bedard skated behind the net and found Dickinson skating through the slot with a no-look dish and Dickinson slapped one past Gibson at 3:54.

The Hawks held a one-goal lead through two periods.

Third period

Alex Killorn tied the game at 2–2 with his third of the season. Shortly after an Anaheim power play expired, the Ducks kept the pressure on. From behind the net, Trevor Zegras found Killorn in front and he backhanded a shot past Soderblom at the 5:10 mark.

The Ducks took their first lead of the game on a goal by Leo Carlsson at 9:38. Zegras made a clean zone entry and fed Killorn at the half boards, who fed Carlsson, who drove the net and deflected the pass in for his sixth of the season.

With the net empty, the Hawks applied some pressure on Gibson but could not get the equalizer and the Ducks hung on for a 3–2 win.

Analysis

The Hawks may have let one slip away against a team that was playing their second game in as many nights. The Ducks appeared to have more energy and played more physical, especially in the third period, and they were rewarded for their effort with two goals and the eventual win.

The Hawks return to home ice on Thursday night when they face the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. CST on ESPN+ and Hulu with the radio call on WGN 720.

The post RECAP: Bedard tallies pair of helpers in Hawks’ 3–2 loss to Anaheim appeared first on The Rink.

]]> https://www.the-rink.com/recap-bedard-tallies-pair-of-helpers-in-hawks-3-2-loss-to-anaheim/feed/ 0 32306 Toronto Maple Leafs: Week in review https://www.the-rink.com/toronto-maple-leafs-week-in-review-5/ https://www.the-rink.com/toronto-maple-leafs-week-in-review-5/#respond Tue, 10 Mar 2020 01:52:36 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=16705 Tuesday vs the San Jose Sharks Keefe decided to start Jack Campbell against the Sharks, with Calle Rosen drawing in and Rasmus Sandin sitting.  Keefe admits he’s worried about putting... Read more »

The post Toronto Maple Leafs: Week in review appeared first on The Rink.

]]> Tuesday vs the San Jose Sharks

Keefe decided to start Jack Campbell against the Sharks, with Calle Rosen drawing in and Rasmus Sandin sitting. 

The Leafs struggled early. Less than a minute in, a giveaway in their own zone forced Campbell to make a big save on Timo Meier. Although the Leafs had their fair share of chances, the Sharks struck first on the powerplay, Evander Kane tipping in Brent Burns’ point shot. The score going into the first intermission was still 1–0. Early in the second period, Auston Matthews picked up a loose puck to score goal number 46, tying the game up at one. Following a weird bounce off both the glass and an official, BLANK Suomela managed to beat Campbell, making it 2–1. The Sharks continued their barrage, and with the shots on the period 9–1 for the California team, Campbell was forced to make this save.

Mitch Marner managed to tie the game at two with a highlight-reel goal.

The game went into the second intermission with the score stuck at 2–2. Less than six minutes into the final frame, the Sharks retook the lead, once again following an odd bounce. Try as they might, the Leafs simply could not break Martin Jones.

Kane scored his second of the night and Radim Simek potted the empty netter. The Sharks downed the Leafs by a score of 5–2.

Thursday vs the Los Angeles Kings

Sandin drew back into the lineup (Rosen the healthy scratch), and Frederik Andersen started in net. This was also the first time the Leafs and Kings have faced off since the midseason trade that sent Campbell and Kyle Clifford to Toronto and Trevor Moore to LA.

The Kings had chances early on, but Andersen shut the door.

Despite opportunities both ways, neither team managed to score. The game went to first intermission 0–0 with shots on goal in favour of LA, 11–5. The most notable part of that period was Drew Doughty laying a huge hit on his former teammate.

Early in the second period, the Leafs had a flurry of shorthanded chances, but could not beat Jonathan Quick.

The rest of the period was mainly in favour of the Leafs but the second intermission came with the score frozen at 0–0. Neither team scored in the third period, and regulation ended. After an overtime in which neither team scored, the game went into the shootout. Neither team scored in the first round of the shootout. In the second round, once again, neither team scored (Auston Matthews whiffing on the puck). In the third round, both Anze Kopitar and William Nylander scored, making a fourth round necessary. Adrian Kempe scored, Mitch Marner did not, and the Kings beat the Leafs by a score of 1–0.

Friday vs the Anaheim Ducks

Prior to the game, the Leafs activated defenceman Cody Ceci from injured reserve. Ceci missed over a month with a high ankle sprain. In a corresponding move, the club sent down defensemen Timothy Liljegren. Keefe made the decision to scratch Sandin, while Ceci slotted in next to Calle Rosen.

Just over three minutes into the game, a miscommunication between Ceci and Rosen led to the Ducks taking the lead, with Carter Rowney left alone and getting the goal.

There were some shaky moments early in the game, including a sequence which led to Travis Dermott preventing a goal.

However, Jack Campbell was called upon to make some difficult saves in the latter part of the first period and he delivered.

The game went to first intermission with the Ducks up 1–0. The Leafs came on strong to start the second period but could not beat John Gibson. 

With the Ducks on the powerplay, Campell made a save point blank to keep the score 1–0

On the Ducks’ second shot of the third period, Adam Henrique doubled up the lead. Directly after the goal, Gibson left the game, Ryan Miller coming into the game in relief. Sheldon Keefe pulled Campbell early, and with three minutes left in the game, William Nylander beat Miller blocker side.

The Leafs could not find the equalizer, and the game ended 2–1.

 

Quick facts

  • The game on Thursday against the Kings was Zach Hyman’s 300th regular season game as well as Kasperi Kapanen’s 200th. 

  • In accordance with one of the NHL’s most confusing rules, both Jonathan Quick and Frederik Andersen were awarded shutouts following Thursday’s game.
  • Thursday night marked the first time the Leafs have been shutout this season.
  • Kevlar/Cutproof material will be readily available for players to prevent skate cuts (similar to what happened to Ilya Mikheyev earlier this season) 

  • William Nylander hit 30 goals on Friday night for the first time in his career. 
  • There were many updates on the injured Leafs this week. Cody Ceci returned on Friday night, Morgan Rielly is now listed as day to day (has not played since January 12th when he sustained a fractured foot) and Mikheyev is expected to play again this season.

The post Toronto Maple Leafs: Week in review appeared first on The Rink.

]]> https://www.the-rink.com/toronto-maple-leafs-week-in-review-5/feed/ 0 16705 Along the Boards: Blackhawks take down the Anaheim Ducks 6–2 on the back of Corey Crawford https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-take-down-the-anaheim-ducks-6-2-on-the-back-of-corey-crawford/ https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-take-down-the-anaheim-ducks-6-2-on-the-back-of-corey-crawford/#respond Wed, 04 Mar 2020 14:31:41 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=16649 With the Blackhawks just barely having one skate left in the doorway of the playoffs, they looked to go on a run at home against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday... Read more »

The post Along the Boards: Blackhawks take down the Anaheim Ducks 6–2 on the back of Corey Crawford appeared first on The Rink.

]]> With the Blackhawks just barely having one skate left in the doorway of the playoffs, they looked to go on a run at home against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. Chicago was only six points out of an inadvisable playoff spot, but they had the difficult task of leapfrogging four other teams to get there. They also had Corey Crawford in net for his sixth straight start after trading away Robin Lehner in a baffling front office move. The home team was officially in feast or famine mode.

If the Blackhawks wanted to beat the Ducks, they would need to do what they do best and that is to score, preferably first. They did exactly that when Kirby Dach skated to the front of the net and dished the puck of to Adam Boqvist, who found Drake Caggiula to the side of Ducks goalie John Gibson for his ninth goal of the season. Of note, it was the first goal in NHL history involving two players born in the 2000s in Boqvist and Dach, who recorded the assists. The Blackhawks ended the first period up 1–0.

Most people thought the Blackhawks traded the wrong goalie at the deadline and there is evidence on both sides of the argument, but to Crawford’s credit, if the Hawks do by some miracle somehow sneak into the playoffs, it would be in part to his willingness to sacrifice his whole body to keep his teammates in the game. For a goalie that has missed a lot of time the past two seasons due to injury, he gave the Blackhawks everything he had in the first period.

Crawford’s numbers this season only tell one side of the story. The Blackhawks’ defense has been terrible this season so the goalies are saving more shots. The more shots there are, the more likely the opposing team scores. Simple percentages. The home team may have scored the lone goal of the opening period, but the Ducks out shot them 16–6 and were taking better shots due to the Blackhawks’ mismanagement of the puck, a story that has had many chapters this season.

The Blackhawks came out for the second period with a lot more energy and fast-paced play almost as if they knew they were lucky to escape the first period with a lead. A deflected shot off the stick of Duncan Keith took a fortunate bounce off the end boards, right in front of Dylan Strome, who fired it past Gibson’s right side for his 11th of the season for a 2–0 Blackhawks advantage.

Shortly after, however, Christian Djoos fooled everyone, including Crawford, into thinking he was taking a shot and he drew the Blackhawks defenders all away from the net in time to pass it to Danton Heinen, who shot it in the gaping net for his ninth goal of the season. The Blackhawks’ lead was down to just one goal, once again, at 2–1.

Crawford continued his fancy footwork when Adam Henrique had a prime scoring opportunity, but the goaltender stretched wide and got his left leg pad in front of the shot. Henrique had about two or three opportunities before the whistle.

The Blackhawks had two good shorthanded chances from Brandon Saad on a breakaway and later Caggiula, but Gibson was there to hold the deficit at one. That was when the Blackhawks’ best puck handler, Patrick Kane, got just past the Ducks’ blue line and fired a pin-point pass to Strome in stride, who redirected the puck past Gibson for his second goal of the game and 12th overall for a 3–1 Chicago lead. Lucas Carlsson got his first career point on the goal, as he set Kane up with an exquisite lead pass to start the play, as well.

The Blackhawks would waste little time in queuing Chelsea Dagger again in the second period. Heinen went for a backhand shot on goal on a breakaway, but Boqvist scurried back and got his stick in the way to disrupt Heinen’s attempt. The Hawks quickly transitioned the puck for a three-on-one the other way and Alexander Nylander capitalized. Nylander toyed with Gibson by going forehand, backhand, then short side into the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season, pushing the Blackhawk advantage to 4–1.

Just 15 seconds later, Nylander would get another point this time on an assist to Kane in front of the goal. This was Kane’s 29th goal of the season. The Blackhawks scored four goals on 18 shots while the Ducks mustered only one goal on 13 shots. This was a very different Blackhawks team in the second period, a team that played both sides of the ice and with a purpose, finishing the second period up 5–1.


The third period opened with a scary moment, as Ryan Getzlaf tried to avoid Crawford after he stopped a shot and accidentally kneed the goaltender in the head. The medical staff and concussion spotter must have seen something they did not like because they brought Crawford to the bench and he was replaced by Malcolm Subban, who was making his Blackhawks debut. It ended up being short lived, however, as Crawford only missed little more than a minute of play and came right back in to guard the net. Crawford, despite a history of numerous head and neck injuries in his career, came back into a game where his team was up late by four goals and in control of the game.

Alrighty then.


Just a few minutes later, he got a wellness check on a redirected shot from Carter Rowney and Crawford missed it for the Ducks’ second goal of the game, cutting the gap to 5–2 with Rowney’s seventh goal of the season. The Blackhawks, however, would add one more goal for good measure when Matthew Highmore hit David Kampf for his eighth of the season and a 6–2 lead on Anaheim goalie Ryan Miller, who replaced Gibson for the third period.

Crawford allowed two goals on 39 shots and the line of Strome, Kane and Nylander had a combined for 13 shots, four goals and three assists. Not a bad day at the office for the Blackhawks, as they took the 6–2 victory and they would hope the rest of the dominoes in front of them would fall their way.

The Blackhawks get the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday at the United Center and puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Do not be surprised if Crawford is not in net for that one and Subban makes his “unofficial” Blackhawks debut. With the season likely lost at this point, there really is no need to push a possibly injured Crawford into his seventh start in a row unless they must. Whoever is scheduled in goal probably wishes they were not, as the Oilers are first place in the Pacific Division and show zero signs of slowing down.

The post Along the Boards: Blackhawks take down the Anaheim Ducks 6–2 on the back of Corey Crawford appeared first on The Rink.

]]> https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-take-down-the-anaheim-ducks-6-2-on-the-back-of-corey-crawford/feed/ 0 16649 Along the boards: Blackhawks clip Ducks’ wings, win 4–2 https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-clip-ducks-wings-win-4-2/ https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-clip-ducks-wings-win-4-2/#respond Sun, 12 Jan 2020 13:36:23 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=15879 After the embarrassment of Thursday night’s loss to the Nashville, the Blackhawks looked to regroup and rebound against the west’s worst team, the Anaheim Ducks.  The good news entering today’s... Read more »

The post Along the boards: Blackhawks clip Ducks’ wings, win 4–2 appeared first on The Rink.

]]> After the embarrassment of Thursday night’s loss to the Nashville, the Blackhawks looked to regroup and rebound against the west’s worst team, the Anaheim Ducks. 

The good news entering today’s action was the return of the Panda himself, Robin Lehner. After a three game absence, Lehner returned looking to right the Hawks’ ship after the loss to the Preds. 

It seemed early on that the Hawks were still feeling the effects of Thursday’s game. Early in the first, the Ducks drew first blood. Just over three minutes into the period, Max Jones potted his fifth goal of the season to put the visitors up 1–0. 

https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1216174983384199169

However, Chicago responded. Roughly five minutes after the Ducks took the lead, the Hawks had a two-on-one, led by Jonathan Toews. Toews elected to keep the puck and fired the puck past John Gibson to tie the game. 

The top line looked sensational for the Hawks early on. The fourth line also looked great. Those lines brought great energy and scoring chances, setting the tone heading into the first intermission. 

The Blackhawks came out with intensity to begin the second period. After head coach Jeremy Colliton switched the lines up, the new top unit of Patrick Kane, Toews and Dominik Kubalik dominated puck possession. Just over four minutes in, Toews set up Kane for a backhand chance, however, the puck trickled off of John Gibson and into an open area in front of the net. Kubalik crashed the net and put home the rebound to give the home team the 2–1 advantage. 

Kubalik has been sensational since joining Toews on the top line. His tally in this game was the 15th of the season for the rookie and his fourth in four straight games. Extending his sensational stretch, the Czech winger wasn’t done yet. Connor Murphy blasted a shot from the point that Kubalik hammered home on the rebound for his second goal of the game and 16th of the season.

After their strong second period, the Hawks would unfortunately be beaten on an excellent passing play for the Ducks. Max Comtois, Isac Lundestrom and Rickard Rakell teamed up for what was a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play and gave the Ducks hope, making the score 3–2. 

However, the Hawks struck back. After entering the offensive zone, Alex DeBrincat pulled up and found an oncoming Olli Maatta at the point. Without wasting any time, Maatta wired a slap shot to the top corner and beat Gibson to restore the Blackhawks’ two-goal lead. 

Despite some chances for each team throughout the third period, neither team could capitalize. In the final minute and change of play, Dominik Kubalik nearly capitalized on a hat trick goal. Although he missed the hat trick, Kubalik was still the first star of the game as the Blackhawks ended the home stand with a 4–2 win over the Ducks. 

Along the boards

Robin Lehner was once again sensational in his return from injury. After Crawford manned the net for three games, the “Panda” returned to backstop the Hawks to a win against an awful Ducks team. Despite their record, the Ducks gave the Hawks a run and Lehner made numerous unbelievable saves to keep the home team out in front. A few days ago, Lehner was asked if he would take a discount to stay in Chicago. He said, in summary, that he has taken discounts his whole career and wants to be paid his worth. He added that he doesn’t want to be overpaid, but he certainly doesn’t want to be underpaid. There is one simple solution to this for the Blackhawks: give Lehner a contract, tell him to write the term and dollars, say “ok,” and have him sign it. If this organization wants any chance of competing in a few years, they need a good goaltender and Lehner fits the bill. #PayRobin.

The Czech rookie was also great tonight. It seems that Kubalik and Toews have found some chemistry together. Ever since Kubalik was promoted to play with Jonathan Toews, he has found a new scoring touch and been a consistent offensive weapon night in and night out. If Kubalik keeps this pace up, he will make a strong argument for the Calder trophy as rookie of the year. If he does not win the award, he should at least be a finalist. Here’s another guy who will need to be paid next summer as well. 

Holy Olli indeed, and how could you not love this tweet? It was refreshing seeing Olli Maatta jump into the play and score against the Ducks. Maatta’s presence will be critical for the rest of the season with injuries to Calvin de Haan and Brent Seabrook. Although the Hawks will likely miss the playoffs, Maatta is a young defenseman with a ton of experience and can be an asset to some of the younger guys such as Dennis Gilbert and Adam Boqvist. It seems like Maatta isn’t the only defenseman jumping in on offense, but it is especially refreshing when it’s guys like Maatta and Murphy, given their reputations as defense-first guys. 

The Blackhawks return to action on Tuesday night in Canada’s capital as they take on the Ottawa Senators. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST. 

The post Along the boards: Blackhawks clip Ducks’ wings, win 4–2 appeared first on The Rink.

]]> https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-clip-ducks-wings-win-4-2/feed/ 0 15879