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Preview: Ducks at Blackhawks
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[January 17, 2014]
The Anaheim Ducks are in the midst
of one of the most dominant stretches in NHL history — and their
opponents on Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks, know a thing or two about
extended periods of dominance. The Ducks extended their winning streak
to eight games Wednesday with a 9-1 win over Vancouver in a result that
featured the largest offensive outburst in franchise history. But
they'll be in for a tough time against a Chicago team that is 16-3-7 at
home this season.
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 The showdown between the top two teams in the Western Conference
couldn't have come at a better time for Anaheim, which has won 18 of
its last 19 games overall — joining the 1967-68 Montreal Canadiens
as the only teams to accomplish the feat. Nick Bonino, Corey Perry
and Teemu Selanne each scored twice in Wednesday's victory, one that
saw Anaheim net a club-record six power-play goals. The Blackhawks
come in looking to rebound from a 3-2 overtime loss to Colorado.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN West (Anaheim), CSN (Chicago)
ABOUT THE DUCKS (36-8-5): Anaheim has long been touted as one of the
deeper teams in the league, but never was it more clear than during
Wednesday's rout of Vancouver. Six different players had a goal and
13 finished with at least one point in the win, which improved the
Ducks to 20-0-2 at home. "We have a lot of depth guys, and guys who
come into the lineup," forward Andrew Cogliano told the team's
website. "It seems like we have 14 guys who switch every night who
can provide offense."
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ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (30-8-11): Having opened the
lockout-shortened 2012-13 season with a 21-0-3 record, Chicago
knows what it takes to be really good for a really long time.
More than one Blackhawks skater credits the Ducks' first line —
anchored by Perry and captain Ryan Getzlaf — with providing a
dangerous combo of size and skill that has fueled the rest of
the team. "It's one thing to have a lot of skill," defenseman
Nick Leddy told the Chicago Sun-Times. "But to have the size as
an added factor has got to be great."
OVERTIME
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Anaheim has won five straight matchups with Chicago,
including a 3-2 overtime triumph in their previous meeting Dec.
6.
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Selanne's game-winning goal against Vancouver was the 110th
of his career, moving him into a tie with Brett Hull for fourth
place on the all-time list.
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Chicago is 23-0-5 when scoring first,
while Anaheim is 21-3-4 when netting the opening goal.
PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Ducks 3
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