It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish.
The Chicago Blackhawks perfectly exemplified that on Sunday afternoon, as they clawed back from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 at the United Center.
It was a horrendous opening to the game for the Blackhawks, falling behind by a pair before anyone in attendance could even sit down following the National Anthem. Anaheim added a third goal just over the midway point of the first period and looked to be well on their way to a blowout win in Chicago.
Instead, the home squad impressively rallied for five unanswered goals and capped off the four-game homestand with a much-needed victory.
“I thought our guys did a pretty good job of not trying to make it up in one shift,” head coach Jeff Blashill said after the game. “You got to try to stay with it. You just got to start playing good hockey. At that point, there’s tons of time left… You got to fight to try to score the next goal. And we did that and we did that and we did that.”
Connor Bedard was at the helm of the Blackhawks’ comeback on Sunday, which also ended the team’s five-game losing streak. Bedard recorded two goals and two assists for his third four-point performance of the season. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick is now tied with Macklin Celebrini for the second-most points (37) in the NHL, trailing only Nathan MacKinnon.
“It’s not good enough in the first, but we know there isn’t any quit in here,” Bedard said. “We believe we can come back any time and win any game, so it’s good to see that. Good to have that response from the whole group.”
Bedard’s second tally of the evening was an empty-netter to seal the win, which was part of a feisty finish to the contest. Ducks forward Mason McTavish and Bedard were exchanging pleasantries shortly before Bedard scored the empty netter, and he let Anaheim’s bench hear about it after the puck hit the net. Then, as the final horn sounded and Chelsea Dagger began to play, McTavish skated over to Bedard and started a skirmish.
Funny enough, Bedard and McTavish are friends and former teammates for Team Canada. The Blackhawks forward laughed about the situation and mentioned that he might go say hello to McTavish after the media session.
“Yeah, we’re pretty close,” Bedard laughed. “But that’s who he is. I think he’s someone that always wants to compete. I was roommates with him and was teammates with him for a couple of years, and everything we do, he’s trying to make it a competition. He’s such a great player, such a good competitor. He’s a fun guy to play against.”
Here are the highlights and key moments from the Blackhawks’ 5-3 win, which moves their record to 11-9-5 through 25 games.
FIRST PERIOD
Truly, I don’t know if the Blackhawks could have started Sunday’s game on a worse note. After winning the opening faceoff, Alex Vlasic was caught pinching in the neutral zone, which created an odd-man rush for the Ducks. Troy Terry made a perfect pass to feed Cutter Gauthier at the left dot and put the visitors ahead 1-0 just 15 seconds in. Ouch.
During a scrambly defensive sequence off a lost defensive-zone faceoff, the Ducks doubled their lead in the blink of an eye. Olen Zellweger was left all alone and jumped on a rebound to make it a 2-0 game. The fans at the United Center were not pleased whatsoever.
To make matters worse, the Ducks hit three goals before the Blackhawks recorded three shots. Artyom Levshunov gave Beckett Sennecke way too much time and space while skating into the offensive zone, and his centering feed banked in off Chris Kreider’s skate. 3-0 Ducks.
With just over two minutes remaining in the period, the Blackhawks’ comeback effort began. Ryan Strome was whistled for cross-checking Wyatt Kaiser, which sent the power play onto the ice. After a great seam pass from Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi deflected Frank Nazar’s shot from the left dot to cut the deficit to 3-1. This was Bertuzzi’s 13th goal of the season and tenth in the past ten games. It was also his team-leading seventh power-play tally of the season.
Connor Bedard➡️Frank Nazar➡️Tyler Bertuzzi🚨
Bertuzzi’s gets a piece of Nazar’s shot for his 13th goal of the season to cut the #Blackhawks deficit to 3-1 on the powerplay. Bertuzzi now has 10 goals in the last 10 games.pic.twitter.com/efSqFHhGxO
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) November 30, 2025
Despite everything that went wrong, the Blackhawks came out of the period with some life and only trailed by two goals. That power-play goal proved to be a crucial spark for the rest of the way.
SECOND PERIOD
Coming into Sunday, the Blackhawks were 0-5-2 when their opponent scored first. They were also 0-3-0 when trailing after 20 minutes. On the flip side, the Ducks were 8-0-0 when scoring first and 6-0-0 when leading after the opening period. The comeback didn’t look too promising with two periods left to play. Especially considering the struggles in the second stanza this season.
But against all odds, Chicago pieced together one of their best second periods and managed to level the score. Ryan Greene found the back of the net for a second consecutive contest by rifling a one-timer on an odd-man rush to cut the deficit to 2-1. It was Greene’s fourth goal of the season, and Bedard’s second point of the game. Tremendous little pass from Andre Burakovsky in the defensive zone to spring the rush.
Andre Burakovsky➡️Connor Bedard➡️Ryan Greene🚨
Greene buries a one-timer on a 2-on-1 with Bedard for his 4th goal of the season to cut the #Blackhawks deficit to 3-2! Greene with his 2nd goal in as many games. Bedard gets his 2nd point of the afternoon.pic.twitter.com/pRyXQpNUKZ
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) November 30, 2025
A forgotten moment in the game was a clutch shorthanded stop made by Spencer Knight, which kept the Blackhawks behind by only one goal. Ryan Poehling was left all alone, but Knight somehow kept his left pad on the ice to make the save.
Just over one minute later, the Blackhawks proceeded to tie the game 3-3 on the power play. Colton Dach shelfed a shot over Petr Mrazek’s (remember him?) glove for his third goal of the season off a quick pass from Teuvo Teravainen. Levshunov also added an assist on the goal, giving him 11 points in the past 16 games. What a clutch goal here from the second PP unit.
Artyom Levshunov➡️Teuvo Teravainen➡️Colton Dach🚨
Dach roofs Teravainen’s feed for his 3rd goal of the season to tie the game 3-3 on the power play! Levshunov picks up his 11th point in the past 16 games with the secondary assist. #Blackhawkspic.twitter.com/2eIyOLXYdy
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) November 30, 2025
The second period has been a major issue for the Blackhawks this year, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday. In a welcome change of pace, the home team led 9-7 in shots on goal, 10-5 in scoring chances, and 2-0 in goals in the frame.
THIRD PERIOD
Early in the third period, the Blackhawks went back to the power play with a chance to grab the lead for the first time. Levshunov did a remarkable job of weaving around Ducks defenders and ended up getting tripped by Drew Helleson.
Not only did the Blackhawks fail to convert on the man advantage, but they also appeared to surrender a short-handed goal. Alex Killorn snuck a stuff shot around a sprawling Knight to give the Ducks a 4-3 lead. However, Blashill quickly challenged the play for offsides, and the officials concluded there was no goal after a review. A massive bullet was dodged there.
With just under 11 minutes to play, the Ducks were forced to make a goaltending change. Mrazek, the former Blackhawks netminder, was injured after trying to make a wraparound save on Ilya Mikheyev. Mrazek needed to be helped off the ice, and Ville Husso came in for the remainder of the game.
Bedard and the Blackhawks gave Husso a rude arrival, as they scored on him less than a minute after he replaced Mrazek. Bedard found himself one-on-one with Husso, and he made a series of dangles to record a highlight-reel goal. It was Bedard’s 15th of the season. How about the hands on this kid?!
Connor Bedard🚨
Bedard pulls off a NASTY couple of moves in tight to deke Husso & put home his 15th goal of the season! #Blackhawks lead 4-3 in the 3rd. WHAT A GOAL! Bedard’s 3rd point of the game. This kid is unbelievable.pic.twitter.com/iEg6hhcKBQ
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) November 30, 2025
After gaining the lead for the first time, the Blackhawks did a lofty job of holding onto it and not forcing their goaltender to do too much work late in the game. With Husso off for the extra attacker, Bedard hopped onto the ice and scored the empty-netter to secure the win. He also made sure to throw some chirps at the Ducks’ bench afterwards.
Here is the sequence between Bedard and McTavish as the game wrapped up. You gotta love to see Connor Murphy and Mikheyev immediately jump in and come to Bedard’s aid. Clearly, the Ducks were frustrated with their performance over the final 40 minutes.
Incredible comeback win from the Blackhawks! They return to action next on Tuesday in Las Vegas to face the Golden Knights. That’s the start of a four-game road trip on the West Coast.
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