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 In an excellent battle between Anaheim goalie John Gibson and
counterpart Scott Darling, Anaheim forward Devante Smith-Pelly's
short-handed goal at 11:32 of the third period was the deciding
factor in the Ducks' 1-0 win over the Blackhawks at the United
Center.
"Whoever scored first, the way it was going, was in a pretty good
spot," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said.
It was Anaheim's second shutout win of the season, and Chicago's
first shutout loss.
"I think we all played really well," said Gibson, who made 38 saves
in the win. "We played good team defense, especially in the last 10
minutes when we got the lead. (The defense) blocked a lot of shots
for me and helped me out."
Smith-Pelly's third goal of the season, unassisted, came on a
breakaway against Darling, playing in only his second game ever in
the NHL.
Darling, who made 24 saves, earned the start due to his outstanding
play in his debut Sunday, a win over Ottawa, as well as Corey
Crawford remaining sidelined with an upper-body injury.
With the victory, Anaheim (8-2-0) started a new winning streak after
its seven-game streak was snapped Sunday at San Jose.
"They're so good and they can make something out of nothing so fast,
that if you don't hit them and slow them down, then they're going to
just skate," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said of the Blackhawks.
"There are a lot of fast teams in the NHL, but this is the team that
plays the fastest. That's why they have the most success I think."
Chicago (5-3-1) has lost three of its last four games after winning
four of its first five matches.
"You have stretches sometimes maybe when things are not going in for
us, but we played the right way," Quenneville said. "We gave up
probably the fewest chances all year. It was a tight game. We played
well in a lot of areas."
But Chicago failed to take advantage of four power plays, including
breaking down on Smith-Pelly's breakaway tally.
"It was a tough play and we can't give that up against good teams
that play good defense," Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook said. "We
have to learn to win these games."
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Added Quenneville, "Our power play hasn't been bad all year. We've
scored some big goals. Today, it would have been nice to get at
least one."
"The (Blackhawks) have probably the best D-core in the league
offensively," Gibson said. "We knew we had to do a good job boxing
out and blocking shots and helped me out a lot to where I could see
the puck, not too many screens."
The Ducks and Blackhawks played a methodical back-and-forth match
through the first two periods, ending the middle stanza tied in
shots on goals at 20 each.
In the third period, Chicago far outshot the visiting Ducks 18-5,
but it was Smith-Pelly's one shot that ultimately proved to be the
game-winner in front of a sellout crowd of 21,233.
NOTES: Chicago LW Daniel Carcillo will likely miss the next month
after injuring his right knee in Sunday's win over Ottawa. ...
Chicago G Corey Crawford remains day-to-day, having missed nearly a
week with an upper-body injury. Crawford will make the upcoming
two-game road trip and could be ready to play in the Blackhawks'
next game, Thursday at Ottawa. ... Tuesday was the Blackhawks' 283rd
consecutive sellout at their United Center home. ... The injury bug
really hit the Ducks hard, having lost 43 man-games as of Tuesday.
... Ducks D Ben Lovejoy will miss the next 6-8 weeks after breaking
his finger in a fight with San Jose C Joe Pavelski on Sunday. ...
Chicago RW Marian Hossa remains two points away from 1,000 in his
storied NHL career. Center and team captain Jonathan Toews is three
goals away from 200 in his career. ... Anaheim continues to lead the
Western Conference in points (16).
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