Nov 25, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry (10) celebrates scoring a goal in the second period against Calgary Flames at Honda Center. Left is Calgary Flames goalie Jonas Hiller (1). Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Next up for the Ducks is a Black Friday showdown with a Western Conference powerhouse in the Chicago Blackhawks. The Ducks met the Blackhawks on October 28th this season, winning 1-0 behind a 38-save shutout by John Gibson and a third period shorthanded goal by Smith-Pelly. Chicago is rounding into form, sporting a 12-8-1 record, good for third in the ultra-competitive Central Division. The Blackhawks are in the midst of a six game road swing through Western Canada, Colorado, and Southern California. Chicago won the first two games of their road trip before falling 4-1 to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks’ captain, leads the team with nine goals and is tied with fellow young superstar Patrick Kane for the team lead in scoring with 18 points. Marian Hossa, one of the best two-way wingers in the game, leads the Blackhawks with 12 assists. Duncan Keith, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, leads the team with 25:27 of ice time per game. Keith has five goals, which is tied for the most among Chicago blue-liners with Brent Seabrook. Keith’s five goals are one off from the six he scored last season when he won the Norris (though he also scored 55 assists, good for sixth in the NHL last season).
Point Streaks, General Notes:
The Ducks had their 11th different player score a game-winning-goal: a different player holds each of the Ducks’ 11 game-winners on the season. This time, it was Palmieri, whose late second-period goal ended up being the difference in the game.
The Ducks did not receive a power-play in the game. Calgary had nine penalty minutes on the night, but five were served by Russell when he fought Kesler at the 14:28 mark of the first period. The other two minor penalties called on Calgary were coincidental minors (matching slashing minors to Brodie and Jakob Silfverberg, and the Perry unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with the Baertschi slashing call).
Despite the 34-29 shot advantage in favor of Calgary, the teams had 26 shots on goal apiece at 5-on-5 play. In fact, the Ducks as a team had more shot attempts for than against at 5-on-5 play (44 shot attempts for, 39 against (53.0%). This was led by the Kesler line: both Kesler and Patrick Maroon saw 14 shot attempts go toward Hiller when they were on the ice, as opposed to only four shot attempts towards Andersen during 5-on-5 play (77.8%). Palmieri, their linemate, saw one more shot attempt against (73.7%).