Ducks scorers remain snake-bit in loss to Blackhawks

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Home cooking seemed just like what the Anaheim Ducks needed to get their style of play dialed back in, but the Ducks most-skilled players continued to be snake-bit in a high-shot performance.

The Chicago Blackhawks nailed two power-play one-timers and Connor Bedard racked up three assists, as the Blackhawks won at Honda Center, 4-2, on Sunday to spoil the Ducks’ homecoming.

Brock McGinn and Mason McTavish scored for Anaheim, and Lukas Dostal made 25 saves.

Arvid Soderblom stopped 37 of the Ducks 39 shots on goal.

Following a four-game East Coast trip, the Ducks (4-5-2) continue a six-game homestand on Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks.

For nearly all of second-year Ducks coach Greg Cronin’s tenure, his offensive mantra has been to simply shoot the puck. Drive up the shots-on-goal and good things will happen. Despite a season-high in shot attempts, Anaheim was unable to score until the fourth line potted a goal midway through the third period.

“It’s going to be an odd comment, because I think we had a season-high 92 shot attempts tonight,” Cronin said, “but we could have shot the puck 20 more times. I wish I had an answer.

“It’s a difficult scenario, because you don’t want to take creativity away… but you also want them to prioritize shooting pucks in primary scoring areas.”

Ross Johnston intercepted a clearing attempt and drove the net to McGinn, whose shot eked across the line to get the Ducks on the board, 3-1.

Chicago responded by jamming home a puck for a Ryan Donato goal with just over two minutes to play, and McTavish scored his first goal of the season off a power-play rebound with four seconds remaining.

McTavish, Trevor Zegras, Frank Vatrano and Cutter Gauthier all remain without 5-on-5 goals this season. Zegras and Vatrano each have one empty-net goal.

“It’s frustrating. I’ve never seen this before,” Cronin said. “I haven’t seen it in a long time where we just can’t score. We’re not scoring.”

Anaheim went 1-for-5 on the power play, which entered the game 29th in the NHL.

“That’s a bummer. You know, the crowd is awesome here. We have such a great crowd. It’s a sold-out building, and you know, they’re waiting,” Cronin said. “They’re dying. I can feel their anxiety on the bench.

“They exploded when we got the first goal, and the power play is an opportunity. It’s not just about the goals being scored, it’s about the energy that’s created by putting pucks on net, getting rebounds, sustaining offensive zone pressure.”

The Ducks meetings at their first practice back from their road trip put a priority on offensive zone time, and Anaheim played the first period exactly as it would’ve drawn up.

Anaheim came out with gusto and led in shots 11-2 after three shots on a better executed but still scoreless power play. However, Isaak Phillips put Chicago ahead in transition 13 minutes into the opening frame. 

The Blackhawks forced an odd-man rush, and Bedard drove the middle and dropped the pass to the trailing Phillips, who lifted a shot by a screened Dostal for the lead. Dostal didn’t react to the top-corner strike.

Two minutes later, Chicago went on its first power play of the night, and Teuvo Teravainen rocketed a one-timer by Dostal for a two-goal lead. Taylor Hall lasered the pass from the top of the left circle to Teravainen in the right circle.

“They have some talented players on their team,” McGinn said. “They’re going to make plays. We had to do a better job protecting the seams. Those are the hardest ones for Dosty to save.”

Ducks again opened the second period with verve in the frame’s first five minutes, but another power play went by, this one without a shot.

Pavel Mintyukov and Dostal kept it a two-goal game, as Mintyukov chased down a breaking Bedard and muscled inside position as Bedard crashed into Dostal. The Czech netminder also denied a Bedard breakaway later in the period.

Anaheim came up empty on its third power play of the night, despite better possession, but Chicago struck again on its second opportunity late in the period.

Seth Jones pounded a one-timer from the top of the left circle that beat Dostal’s glove for the 3-0 lead. Bedard drew the attention at the point and fed Jones for his second assist.

Following McGinn’s third-period goal, the Ducks got more and more pucks to the top of the crease to generate more dangerous chances. But Anaheim could not finish any second opportunities.

“There’s no secret,” Johnston said. “We have a skilled group, but we don’t have a skilled enough group to play a completely skilled game.

“We’re young, and I think, as I mentioned, sometimes we have to play some ugly hockey. Keeping it simple, straight lines, getting the pucks in deep and getting our chances by throwing pucks at the goalie’s feet.”

Chicago showed the Ducks that exact type of play with just over two minutes remaining. The Blackhawks caused chaos in Dostal’s crease, and after three or four whacks, Donato got the game-icing goal, 4-1.

Anaheim drew its fifth power play of the game with 1:32 to play, and Troy Terry and Ryan Strome earned assists on McTavish’s rebound goal.

Game Notes

• Anaheim outshot its opponent for only the fourth time this season. The Ducks previously outshot Utah and San Jose at home and the New York Rangers on the road.

• Anaheim’s 39 shots were its second-most this season, and Sunday was the Ducks’ fifth game with over 30 shots in 11 games.

• The line of Zegras, Gauthier and Alex Killorn generated 78.57% of the shot attempts while on the ice, 22-6, according to Natrual Stat Trick. The fourth line of Johnston, McGinn and Isac Lundestrom generated 77.78% of the shot attempts while on the ice, 14-4.

• Dostal leads the NHL in shots faced and saves and dropped to second in save percentage after Sunday. According to MoneyPuck, Dostal leads the league in goals saved above expected.