Coming into Sunday’s game, the Chicago Blackhawks were 0-5-2 when their opponent scored first and 0-3-0 when trailing after 20 minutes.
On the flip side, the Anaheim Ducks were 8-0-0 when scoring first and 6-0-0 when leading after the first period.
All of those stats can now be thrown out the window, as the Blackhawks mounted a miraculous comeback from down 3-0 to defeat the Ducks 5-3 at the United Center on Sunday.
The Blackhawks rallied for five unanswered goals in the final 43 minutes to snap a five-game losing streak. It’s the first win for Chicago since Nov. 18 against the Calgary Flames.
During the losing skid, the Blackhawks blew a lead in three of the five games, letting the Seattle Kraken, Minnesota Wild, and Nashville Predators come from behind to win by one goal. This time, it was their turn to claw back from an early deficit and steal a victory.
But it wasn’t just the Blackhawks’ comeback effort that was impressive on Sunday. Once they grabbed the lead for the first time in the third period, they did a stout job of remaining ahead and didn’t force goaltender Spencer Knight to work too hard down the stretch.
While Connor Bedard received all the attention after another productive afternoon, it took a complete team effort for the Blackhawks to storm back and pick up a crucial two points before the upcoming four-game road trip.
“I think everyone took it upon themselves to up their game a little bit,” Bedard said after the comeback. “That’s a game we needed, five games straight without being able to get a win. I think we all took initiative there after the first and stepped it up.”
10 Observations:
1. ONE — The number of players in the NHL with more points than Bedard. With two goals and two assists on Sunday, Bedard already has three four-point performances this season. He’s now tied with Macklin Celebrini for the second-most points (37) in the NHL, trailing only Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (44). Bedard factored in on four of the Blackhawks’ five goals on Sunday and is on pace for 121 points. From the nasty stickhandling on his goal to the no-look pass to set up Ryan Greene, he was in his bag against the Ducks.
2. Two Straight — After burying Bedard’s no-look feed on a 2-on-1 rush, Greene now has goals in back-to-back games and four on the season. The 2022 second-round pick continues to look the part on the top line and has meshed rather well with Bedard in recent weeks. Greene started the season as the fourth-line center, but he’s worked his way up the lineup and proved to be a more capable offensive player than most folks expected as a rookie. He lacked the finishing touch there for a while, but now he’s starting to get the hang of it. Greene has tallied a point in five of the last eight games.
3. Bert Starts Comeback — With the Blackhawks trailing 3-0 late in the first period, Tyler Bertuzzi kick-started the comeback by deflecting Frank Nazar’s shot to get on the board. Bertuzzi now has 10 goals over his past 10 games and 13 on the season, which trails only Bedard on the team. The scrappy forward also leads the Blackhawks with seven power-play tallies. Wyatt Johnston for the Dallas Stars is the only player in the NHL with more PPGs than Bertuzzi (12).
4. The Dachter Is In — Offensive contributions won’t ever be Colton Dach’s forte. Coming into Sunday, the 6-foot-4 forward had only five points (2G, 3A) in 24 games on the season. But Dach picked a perfect time to chip in and snap his six-game goal drought, as he tied the game 3-3 in the second period with his first career power-play goal. Dach roofed a shot over Petr Mrazek’s for his third goal of the year and added two hits in 11:58 of ice time. The 22-year-old ranks third in the NHL with 94 hits and leads all rookies in that category.
5. Clutch Power Play — The Blackhawks have sat inside the top half of the league on the power play for most of the season so far. Despite having issues entering the offensive zone at times, getting the finished product hasn’t been a problem.
The man advantage played a massive part in Chicago’s comeback, as they converted for multiple power-play goals for just the second time in the opening 25 games. Bertuzzi and Dach were the two goal scorers. Now at 24.3 percent, the Blackhawks rank fifth in the league on the power play.
6. Aggressive Arty — While his play in the defensive zone still needs to be ironed out, Artyom Levshunov is already a force to be reckoned with offensively. The 2024 No. 2 overall pick had two or three excellent maneuvers in the O-zone on Sunday that either created a scoring chance or led to a penalty on the Ducks. Levshunov, still only 20, has been the Blackhawks’ best offensive defenseman this season. He was on the ice for two of Anaheim’s three goals, but he also registered an assist on Dach’s tally and now has 11 points over the past 16 games. Levshunov is tied for fourth in rookie scoring with 13 points.
7. No Goal November — Nazar did pick up a primary assist on Bertuzzi’s goal, but he officially finished November without scoring a single goal in the month. His last goal came on Oct. 28 against the Ottawa Senators. Nazar has six points in eight games since returning from injury, which he suffered on Nov. 7 versus Calgary. But he hasn’t been driving play at the same rate that he was to start the season. At one point, Nazar was the Blackhawks’ leading scorer. Now, he’s 20 points back of Bedard. A direct comparison between the two players isn’t fair, but it’s clear Nazar hasn’t been as consistent over the past month. There’s a chance he’s still playing a little banged up.
8. Second Period Turnaround — It’s ironic that the Blackhawks ended their losing streak in a game where they played horribly in the first period and tremendously in the second. They’ve had no trouble getting off to fast starts, but the middle frame has given them fits. Well, the tables turned at the United Center on Sunday. They trailed after 20 minutes for only the fourth time this season, and then had one of the few occasions where they outscored their opponent in the second period. Chicago led 9-7 in shots on goal, 10-5 in scoring chances, and 2-0 in goals for during the stanza. Maybe they need to act like they’re down by two more often during the first intermission?
9. Burakovsky Coming Up Big — Andre Burakovsky has been back in the lineup for the last two games now after missing the previous three contests due to injury. The Swedish forward has picked up where he left off before the injury, with two assists since returning. Burakovsky made a terrific feed in the defensive zone to spring Bedard and Greene for an odd-man rush, which resulted in the second goal of the game for the Blackhawks. Through 20 games this season, Burakovsky is third on the team with 17 points (7G, 10A). He’s been an excellent addition to the top line alongside Bedard.
10. Poor Petr — Late in the contest, former Blackhawks netminder Petr Mrazek was forced to exit the game with an apparent injury. Mrazek fell to the ice in some pain after attempting to stop Ilya Mikheyev’s wraparound in the third period. He would need to be helped off the ice, and Ville Husso entered the game as his replacement. Mrazek has been plagued by groin issues for most of his career, and it would be a bummer if that’s what he’s dealing with again. Here’s to hoping it isn’t an extended absence for Mrazek with the Ducks. He was always a class act during his time in Chicago.
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