Weird night as Chicago Blackhawks fall to Ducks
Sometimes - no matter how many shots a team puts on goal, no matter how much zone time it amasses, no matter how well it plays defensively - you end up tipping your hat to the opponent's goalie.
That's about all the Chicago Blackhawks could do after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Anaheim at the United Center on Thursday night despite outshooting the Ducks 19-2 in the first period and 43-26 for the game.
"They played pretty physical. Pretty solid defensively," said Hawks goalie Corey Crawford, who made 25 saves in defeat. "(Jonathan) Bernier made a bunch of saves. I mean we played well; we had good looks. We just weren't getting some bounces there."
That's for sure.
The worst puck luck came 17:34 into the second period when Marian Hossa's attempt hit the post. Tanner Kero was so sure the Hawks had grabbed a 1-0 lead that he actually raised his arms while trying to keep his balance at the goal mouth.
Almost unbelievably, the Ducks raced the other direction and scored the game's only goal when Corey Perry flipped a shot past Crawford at 17:44.
Not only did the loss snap the Hawks' seven-game winning streak, it also meant they failed to tie or overtake Minnesota at the top of the Central Division. The Wild, which lost 4-1 at Tampa Bay, remains 1 point ahead of the Hawks with one game in hand.
Bernier also stood strong when he turned away point-blank attempts from Artemi Panarin and Jonathan Toews 20 seconds apart with Crawford pulled for the extra attacker.
"Their goalie was very good and certainly was a factor," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "But gotta find a way to get one."
We don't often talk about individual shifts in a game, but the Hawks had a doozy of one just after an interference penalty to Johnny Oduya expired 5:53 into the second period.
At that point, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Jonathan Toews, Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane wove their way in, through and around the Hawks' offensive zone for what seemed to be an eternity. Every one of those players was on the ice for at least 103 seconds, with Toews (2:54) and Keith (2:20) leading the way.
The Hawks had some chances but managed just 1 shot on goal. Three other attempts were blocked.
"That was obviously a good shift where we had puck possession," Keith said. "You know, we did a lot of good things but still obviously wasn't good enough. … Maybe if we could keep it simpler in some instances and just get pucks at the net with traffic, maybe we would have had a bounce."
This was the fourth time the Hawks have been shut out this season and the first since a 6-0 pasting in Washington on Jan. 13.
Anaheim felt fortunate to escape with a victory and to beat a team that has lost just twice since the beginning of February.
"We were far inferior in the first period," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "We just couldn't accept that. But at least we rallied back and played a decent enough road game from then on. The third period was our best period."
Scouting report
Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena, 6:30 p.m. Friday
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: This will be the last time the Hawks play at Joe Louis Arena, a stadium that has housed the Red Wings since 1979. Next season, Detroit will play in the new Little Caesars Arena. … Barring a miracle finish, Detroit's run of 25 straight playoff appearances will come to an end. … Detroit has lost four straight and is 5-10-5 in its last 20 games. … No player has more than 15 goals, and the team's power play ranks last at 12.6 percent. … The Hawks won the teams' previous meeting this season, 4-3 in overtime on Jan. 10.
Next: Minnesota Wild at United Center, 11:30 a.m. Sunday
- John Dietz