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‘Still kicking,’ Ducks beat Blackhawks for 3rd straight win

February 28, 2023

The Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg, right, moves the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks’ Andreas Athanasiou during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, center, is defended by the Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Murphy, left, and Jason Dickinson, right, during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Chicago Blackhawks’ Tyler Johnson (90) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first period of their game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Chicago Blackhawks players celebrate after a goal by Tyler Johnson as Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal, left, looks on during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Ducks’ Ryan Strome moves the puck past the Chicago Blackhawks’ Andreas Athanasiou during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek, left, makes a save during the first period of their game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Chicago Blackhawks’ Colin Blackwell, left, passes the puck while under pressure from the Ducks’ Troy Terry during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Ducks’ Isac Lundestrom, left, celebrates with Trevor Zegras (11) as Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek, right, stands in front of his net during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Ducks’ Derek Grant, center, looks to pass the puck while under pressure from the Chicago Blackhawks’ Ian Mitchell, left, and Cole Guttman during the first period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Chicago Blackhawks’ Brett Seney, right, and the Ducks’ Kevin Shattenkirk collide as they chase the puck during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Ducks; Isac Lundestrom, right, and the Chicago Blackhawks’ David Gust chase the puck during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Chicago Blackhawks’ Brett Seney shoots the puck during the second period of their game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Chicago Blackhawks’ Colin Blackwell, right, falls to the ice as he vies for the puck with the Ducks’ Kevin Shattenkirk during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Chicago Blackhawks’ Taylor Raddysh, right, is defended by the Ducks’ Max Jones during the second period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, right, shoots the puck while under pressure from the Chicago Blackhawks’ Ian Mitchell, left, during the third period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Ducks’ Troy Terry, right, sets up to shoot against Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek, left, during the third period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Ducks’ Cam Fowler shoots the puck during the third period of their game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek, left, stops a shot during the third period of their game against the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Chicago Blackhawks’ Cole Guttman, right, is pressured by the Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg during the third period on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Ducks players celebrate after their 4-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Chicago Blackhawks players, right, leave the ice after their 4-2 loss to the Ducks on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Fans listen to the national anthem before a between the Ducks and the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night at Honda Center. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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ANAHEIM — Four-point swings aren’t quite what they used to be …

Old days: A game between the Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks meant bragging rights in the regular season in the Western Conference.

New times: A contest involving the Ducks and Blackhawks meant a result could impact the race to the bottom, also known as the Connor Bedard Derby. Of course, last place overall doesn’t automatically ensure the right to pick first in the draft – due to the draft lottery – but a team’s odds are meaningfully enhanced by finishing 32nd.

So how about those standings?

Columbus still holds down the last spot overall with 44 points but ‘gained’ more separation in the standings when the Ducks defeated the Blackhawks, 4-2, on Monday night at Honda Center, with the hosts winning their third straight game. The Ducks and Chicago each have 47 points but the Ducks have played 61 games, two more than the Blackhawks. The result snapped Chicago’s five-game winning streak.

Scoring for the Ducks: Isac Lundestrom (fourth of the season), Jakob Silfverberg (ninth), Max Jones (fifth) and Troy Terry (16th), with Terry and Jones adding assists. Ducks rookie center Mason McTavish added three assists, Frank Vatrano had two assists, and rookie goaltender Lukas Dostal made 24 saves for his third win of the season. Defenseman John Klingberg had the primary assist on Silfverberg’s goal, giving him nine points in his past nine games.

“That’s a hard game for those guys to play,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “We flew home the other night (from Carolina). Guys probably got in their beds by maybe 4 a.m. Guys with kids probably didn’t sleep at all. So these are dangerous games. … Good on our guys for being ready, getting over that mental hump and finding a way to get the points.”

The game-winner was from Jones, who broke the 2-2 tie, scoring with 17.5 seconds remaining in the second period and Terry scored the only goal in the third, converting a slick backhander from a sharp angle at 8:15.

“I can’t not mention McTavish,” Terry said. “Him and (Jones) together are two of the best forecheckers on the team and they won the puck back. Mac made a really good play. Once I saw he was going to get it, I tried to just bust to the net because I knew he was going to find me.

“Once I got it, I did have a little more time than I thought. I was on my backhand. … I don’t even know if I could have scored it from where I ended up. I just tried to get it around the goalie (Petr Mrazek) and it’s a fortuitous bounce. It feels good.”

Troy Terry Ducks lead 4-2! @AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/YzzfNmilwo

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) February 28, 2023

The Ducks’ only other three-game winning streak this season was in late January. Earlier in the day, Terry pointed to things he saw in last week’s victory in Washington, which started the current run for the Ducks.

“As a team, we’re still fighting,” he said. “We’re still kicking. When you’ve got guys fighting Tom Wilson and (Dylan) McIlrath and you’ve got Nathan Beaulieu jumping in front of an Alex Ovechkin one-timer. That type of stuff – we may be where we are in the standings – but we’re all playing for something and we’re too close a group not to battle for each other.

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“That game was a good reminder of that and set us up for the next game.”

Jones agreed, saying: “Right there, it showed all right, we still care. Everyone is out there still fighting and leans on each other. It makes everyone else want to work harder.”

Chicago was without franchise icons Jonathan Toews, who is dealing with symptoms of long COVID-19 and Patrick Kane (roster management), and earlier in the day, defenseman Jake McCabe and depth forward Sam Lafferty were traded (along with future draft picks) in a package to the Toronto Maple Leafs for two players and two future picks. One of those players, Joey Anderson, the older brother of Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson, traveled to Anaheim and played against the Ducks, on the fourth line.

How thin were the Blackhawks on experience? Two forwards in their top nine had played a combined nine games in the NHL, counting Monday night’s contest.

Orange County Register

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‘Still kicking,’ Ducks beat Blackhawks for 3rd straight win

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