Preview: Ducks at Blackhawks

[May 27, 2015]  The Anaheim Ducks look to stamp their ticket to the Stanley Cup final when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks for Game 6 of the Western Conference final on Wednesday. Anaheim pushed Chicago to the brink of elimination Monday with a wild 5-4 overtime victory, continuing the series trend of alternating victories.

The Ducks opened a 3-0 lead before the Blackhawks registered a shot on goal but found themselves tied after regulation for the third time in the matchup as Chicago captain Jonathan Toews scored twice in the final 1:50 of the third period to erase a 4-2 deficit. Matt Beleskey ended things quickly, however, burying a rebound 45 seconds into overtime to put Anaheim one win away from the second Stanley Cup final appearance in franchise history. The Ducks also were up 3-2 against Los Angeles in last year's conference semifinals, but the Kings evened the series at home before capturing Game 7 at Honda Center en route to their second championship in three years. The Blackhawks have trailed 3-2 in four playoff series since 2011 and won Game 6 three times.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA

ABOUT THE DUCKS: Ryan Getzlaf set up a pair of goals Monday, giving him at least one assist in each game of the series. The captain has collected 19 points this postseason, eclipsing the previous franchise playoff record he set in 2009. Coach Bruce Boudreau is not concerned about goaltender Frederik Andersen, who uncharacteristically allowed several soft goals in Game 5. "He's played so many good games in a row and he's bailed us out so often," Boudreau said. "It was time we bailed him out. He'll be back to his normal, great self (Wednesday)."

ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS: Chicago, which has used its fifth and sixth defensemen sparingly in the series, may insert rookie Trevor van Riemsdyk into the lineup Wednesday in place of either Kyle Cumiskey or the 40-year-old Kimmo Timonen. Cumiskey has seen less than 11 minutes of ice time in two of his four games, eclipsing that mark only in the multiple-overtime contests, while Timonen has topped 8:06 only twice in the five meetings with the Ducks - also the multi-OT affairs. The 23-year-old van Riemsdyk appeared in 18 games during his first NHL season but has not played since November due to knee and wrist injuries. "We'll see," coach Joel Quenneville said. "We'll see how he is. He's going to skate with us (Wednesday) morning."

OVERTIME

1. The Ducks matched a league record Monday, joining the 1979 New York Rangers as the only teams in NHL history to go without a regulation loss in their first 14 playoff games.

2. Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane has been kept off the scoresheet in three of the five games against Anaheim after notching at least one point in nine of his 10 contests over the first two playoff rounds.

3. Chicago is 0-4 in games following an overtime contest thus far this postseason.

PREDICTION: Blackhawks 5, Ducks 2

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.