ANAHEIM—When the Blackhawks make their usual visit to Anaheim on Black Friday, they always have a raucous cheering section of jersey-clad fans crowded against the glass from the pregame warmup onward.Although those fans didn’t get to see captain Jonathan Toews this time, that only made the Blackhawks’ latest win in Orange County even more impressive.Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist, and the Blackhawks hung on to beat the Ducks 3-2 for their fifth consecutive win in the clubs’ post-Thanksgiving rivalry game. The Western Conference leaders have won five straight regular-season games in Anaheim since March 2013.
”That’s a big two points against a good team without maybe our most important player,” Kane said. ”You’ve got to feel good about that one.”
Artem Anisimov and Ryan Hartman also scored as the Blackhawks snapped their first two-game skid since opening week even without Toews, who missed his first game of the season due to an upper-body injury. Playing the sixth game of its draining circus road trip, the Hawks took a 3-0 lead in the second period and hung on against Anaheim’s late surge with superb play from Corey Crawford, who made 34 saves.
”When you’re missing a captain and one of your better players, you need to step up,” Hartman said. ”I think we all did that and played a really solid game.”
Nick Ritchie and Jakob Silfverberg scored and John Gibson stopped 22 shots for the Ducks, who wrapped up a five-game homestand on a three-game skid despite fairly solid play during that stretch. Anaheim is used to feeling frustration after facing the Blackhawks, who knocked them out of the 2015 playoffs in a memorable seven-game Western Conference finals.The Ducks fell to 4-4-2 against the Blackhawks on Black Friday. They haven’t won this rivalry game since 2009.
”We just have to find a way to get us over the top,” Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. ”We’re going to focus on the process. It’s hard, and there’s a lot of positives, but you can’t go down 3-0 to a hockey club and expect to come back in every game.”
The Ducks’ inexplicably poor production from their top line continued. Corey Perry hasn’t scored a goal in 13 games, and captain Ryan Getzlaf hasn’t found the net in 15 games since Oct. 16.
”We’ve got to score goals, and that comes on me, Perrs and whoever plays on our wing,” Getzlaf said. ”We play a lot of minutes, so we’ve got to put more pucks on net and score some goals. We’ve been getting lots of opportunities, lots of looks. When the season starts turning, you’ve got to put those pucks in the net.”
The Ducks hosted an afternoon game on the day after Thanksgiving for the 16th time in their 22-season history, including 10 meetings with the Blackhawks. The game has become an annual tradition for both franchises – and for hundreds of Blackhawks fans who show up in balmy Anaheim in even larger numbers than usual to roar for their cold-weather hometown.Anisimov put the Blackhawks up in the first period by finishing a two-man rush set up by Brent Seabrook’s beautiful outlet pass to Kane. Anisimov’s ninth goal of the season snapped his seven-game drought.Kane scored his seventh goal on a long shot off another pass from Seabrook during a power play early in the second period.Hartman connected late in the period, but Ritchie trimmed the lead 10 seconds later with an impressive shot in the slot, going through Seabrook’s legs and into the top corner.An apparent goal by Anaheim’s Ondrej Kase was waved off early in the third period when the puck went off his glove before ricocheting into the net. Moments later, Silfverberg scored his seventh goal of a standout season on a wraparound.
NOTES—Toews was injured Wednesday at San Jose, and he is questionable for Saturday’s game at Los Angeles. Rookie Vinnie Hinostroza took his spot, centering a line with Marian Hossa and Ryan Hartman. … Anaheim dominated the faceoff circle, winning 49 of the 67 draws. … Logan Shaw debuted for the Ducks, who acquired the forward in a trade with Florida on Nov. 16. … The Ducks wore their orange third jerseys….The Blackhawks face the L.A. Kings at Staples Center on Saturday.