DeBrincat takes a stroll in land of the giants

Alex DeBrincat is one of the quietest, most mild-mannered professional athletes you'll ever meet.

But that doesn't mean the 5-foot-7, 165-pound Chicago Blackhawks forward won't stick up for himself when an opponent is getting on his nerves.

"Everyone on their team was doing little things behind the play," DeBrincat said of the Anaheim Ducks during the Hawks' 3-1 victory Tuesday at the United Center.

With 11:20 left in the second period, DeBrincat decided enough was enough and - despite giving up eight inches and a whopping 51 pounds - he went after the 6-foot-3, 216-pound Josh Manson.

After giving a whack to Manson's stick, DeBrincat started swinging away, then had his helmet yanked off by the 6-4, 225-pound Ryan Getzlaf.

The two exchanged some pleasantries, and then DeBrincat actually started laughing at Manson.

"The best thing to do is smile," DeBrincat said. "It just makes him that much more mad."

Finally, the two combatants went to the penalty box, where they kept jawing at each other while serving dual roughing violations.

"At some point you can get bullied around, and that's not what I want to happen," DeBrincat said. "Just trying to stand up for me. Hopefully he doesn't it do again, I guess."

Said a smiling Jonathan Toews, who was wrestled to the ice by Nick Ritchie as he skated toward the scrum: "Unfortunately, (DeBrincat) was in there against two guys that were twice his size and no one was helping him out. It was nice to see he was ready to go, and then everyone wanted to play harder and play better out there.

"He was a good example of that."

Believe it or not, DeBrincat said he got into a few fights while playing for the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights.

"Didn't really believe him," Patrick Kane said. "We were all thinking, 'What's he doing going after Manson here?'

"He's got that feisty part to his game. You're just kind of hoping he doesn't get hurt and doesn't get into a little bit of trouble. But, hey, he was in the moment and sometimes emotions can take over. It was fun to see."

Perfect pass:

Corey Crawford was fantastic again in net, Brandon Saad scored a pair of goals, and the Hawks' penalty kill went 4-for-4 in a much-needed victory over the Ducks.

All of those highlights took a back seat to one sweet pass by Erik Gustafsson.

With the Hawks and Ducks tied at 1-1, Gustafsson accepted a crisp D-to-D pass from Brent Seabrook and made three quick strides into the offensive zone. With Artem Anisimov taking a pair of Ducks to the net, Gustafsson stared down Ducks goalie John Gibson and - instead of shooting - threw a no-look pass to Patrick Kane.

Windup. Shot. Goal. Hawks lead 2-1.

"I asked Kaner, 'Did you yell for it?' " coach Joel Quenneville said. "He said, 'I didn't have to.' "

Said a smiling Gustafsson: "I can't score by myself, so it's better to pass it. No, I know Kaner is out there. He's always getting open when someone else has the puck, so it's easy to find him."

It was Gustafsson's fourth assist of the season. His third came on a similar play when he fed Alex DeBrincat for a tap-in overtime goal against the Blues on Oct. 13.

He said it:

"If I was off for 10 months, I wouldn't remember if I was right- or left-handed. It would definitely be a struggle just mentally to find your game again, let alone play at (a level) that everyone expects you to play at. It's pretty amazing."

- Jonathan Toews on how impressed he is with Corey Crawford's play since returning from a concussion.

He said it II:

"Can't be scoreboard watching for the next 75 games. (We should) focus on the little things we can control and improve upon and enjoy the road, I guess."

- Jonathan Toews on if he's paying attention to hot starts by division foes Nashville (7-2-0), Colorado (6-2-2) and Winnipeg (6-3-1).

Scouting report

Blackhawks vs. New York Rangers, 7:30 p.m. at United Center

TV: NBCSCH

Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: The Rangers won for just the third time this season Tuesday, 5-2 over Florida, thanks to 2-goal games by Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad. Two goals came on the power play and another while New York was short-handed. "I'm not saying we played great tonight, but (we found) a way to win. That's what you have to do," Rangers coach David Quinn told reporters. … The Rangers scored just 7 regulation goals in their previous four games. … Patrick Kane (8G, 5A) and Alex DeBrincat (7G, 5A) have points in eight of the Blackhawks' nine games. … Corey Crawford starts in net for the Hawks (5-2-2). He has a .946 save percentage and 1.69 goals-against average in three games.

Next: St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center, 7 p.m. Saturday

- John Dietz