Intent on breaking free from an up-and-down run of late, the Anaheim Ducks will complete a stretch of home games that has not gone quite as planned when they play host to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
The Ducks have played eight of the past 10 games at home and have one more remaining before heading out on a five-game road trip. They are 6-4-0 during the stretch so far and have won consecutive games just once.
Anaheim continues to look for the form that led to a six-game winning streak from late October into early November when the Ducks averaged 5.7 goals per game. In the 13 games since, they have averaged 2.8 goals and have been shut out twice.
Overall, Anaheim is 10-4-0 at home this season and is one of just three NHL teams with double-digit home victories.
The last two games for the Ducks have represented a season low and high. A 7-0 loss at home to the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday was followed by a 4-3 shootout victory at home Friday that ended the Washington Capitals’ six-game winning streak.
Rookie Beckett Sennecke, 19, scored the game-tying goal with 2:01 remaining in regulation against the Capitals. Mason McTavish scored the shootout winner after Troy Terry also delivered in the session.
Sennecke, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, has a point in nine of the past 10 games. He leads all rookies with 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists).
“He’s got an evasiveness that’s a little bit unpredictable,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said. “A lot of guys haven’t seen him yet and I think they’re still probably trying to gauge what the next move could be because he is so slippery, but he’s got that reach and sometimes it looks like you’ve got him, but he finds a way to keep on that puck.”
The Blackhawks are set to bring their Southern California residency to an end, while also closing out a four-game West Coast road trip. Chicago opened its travels with a 4-3 shootout loss against the Vegas Golden Knights then split a pair of games against the Los Angeles Kings.
After a 2-1 victory at Los Angeles on Thursday, the Blackhawks were overwhelmed 6-0 on Saturday when goalie Spencer Knight was peppered for three goals in each of the final two periods. Now come the challenges of a quick turnaround to face the young and speedy Ducks.
“(If) the guys around you look like they have more energy on their own home ice, you start to sometimes feel panicked,” veteran Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy told the Chicago Sun-Times. “You think you need to be at your best, (with what) you usually have. But you don’t need to be. You can win with your B game. That’s just the nature of the game, realizing you can win and play well with whatever your body is showing that day.”
The Blackhawks ended their most recent homestand with a 5-3 victory over the Ducks last weekend. That result snapped a five-game losing streak (0-4-1).
Connor Bedard put the Blackhawks into the lead for good midway through the third period. He had two goals and four points in the win.
Bedard is tied for third in the NHL with 18 goals and is fourth with 39 points.
