Blackhawks-Ducks: Toews and Co. Cook the Ducks in Third Period

Game Recap

Well the Chicago Blackhawks got what they needed tonight—a big win. The Chicago Blackhawks were able to fight back from a late one-goal deficit to beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-2.

The 'Hawks got the scoring started in the first period, as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews would find a wide-open Patrick Sharp to give the 'Hawks an early 1-0 lead. The 'Hawks would hold that lead going into the second, with Cristobal Huet turning aside all nine shots he faced.

The second period belonged to the Ducks.  They outplayed the 'Hawks in every facet of the game—offensively, defensively, and physically. The Ducks fired 15 shots on net in the second period, and Teemu Selanne was able to net a power-play goal at the 9:24 mark. 

The domination seemed to continue in the third period and the Ducks were able to capitalize on their momentum with a Chris Pronger goal just 48 seconds into the third period. But the 'Hawks were not going to go away quietly, as they continued to fight the battles and try to keep the puck in the offensive zone.

The shift in the momentum seemed to take place when Dustin Byfuglien was able to lay out Corey Perry, which served as a wake-up call to the rest of the team that they were not out of it by a long shot. Just moments later, Kris Versteeg made a spectacular move to get into the Ducks' zone, then made a centering pass to Duncan Keith, who set up Martin Havlat for the game-tying goal. 

Four minutes later, the 'Hawks would finish the comeback when Kris Versteeg would center a puck through the goal mouth and find Jonathan Toews, who would put the puck into a virtually open net. The Duck could not work their way back, as Dave Bolland would put in an empty net goal to give the 'Hawks a 4-2 win.

Tonight was a big win for the 'Hawks after their recent skid.  Look for them to try and carry this momentum over to their game versus Detroit on Sunday.

Three Stars of the Game

1. Jonathan Toews (1 goal, 1 assist)

2. Martin Havlat (1 goal)

3. Scott Niedermayer (1 assist)

Michael Wagner's Player of the Game

Cristobal Huet

Huet had a very good night versus the Ducks once again, with 30 saves on 32 shots—easily one his best games as a 'Hawk. I think that this could be a turning point for Huet, he seems to have found some confidence and hopefully he can carry it over to the Detroit game.

Next Game

The Chicago Blackhawks will take on their rival Detroit Red Wings on Sunday at Joe Louis Arena. This will be the second meeting between the Red Wings and the 'Hawks this season. The Red Wings took the first game of the series, 6-5 in a shootout. 

Chicago Blackhawks Game Notes

Nikolai Khabibulin and Adam Burish were both scratches from the Blackhawks' line-up once again, with both still battling injuries. 

Joel Quenneville stated after the game that Khabibulin will participate in practice before the weekend, and might be returning to the line-up sometime next week.