Three Keys to Anaheim Ducks Grudge Match against Hawks

Coming off their first overtime victory of the season, the Anaheim Ducks are looking to match their season-best win streak against the Chicago Blackhawks. Although these two teams are in different classes when it comes to recent success, the Blackhawks always bring their best against the team they burned back in 2015.

Both the Anaheim Ducks and the Blackhawks are coming off overtime games, but the Ducks have a slight advantage after a day of rest. For the Hawks, they are coming off a tough overtime loss against the Kings, so to say that they are tired-out and beaten down is an understatement. That’s the first key here for the Ducks to focus on.

Lots of Early Pressure

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Last night’s OT loss against the Kings was a very tough one for Chicago considering that they are now 3-6-3 and twenty-seventh in league standings. As a team and a franchise, the Blackhawks are trying to rebuild to get back to those glory years that saw them win three Stanley Cup championships in five years, but things haven’t been rolling too well for them since the 2017 playoffs. Now is the best time of any for the Ducks to capitalize on that.

In last night’s game alone, the Blackhawks let up forty-nine SOG partly thanks to eight minutes spent in the penalty box. In turn, they also only had twenty-seven SOG, so they struggled mightily. Although the early going hasn’t been the best time for Anaheim just yet, getting off to a good start is crucial here. Anaheim needs to tire out this already tired Chicago team and it will be mostly smooth sailing afterward. It would be perfect for Ryan Getzlaf to lead the team early, and that’s the biggest key of the night.

Very Special 1000th Game

Tonight is Ryan Getzlaf’s 1000th game in the NHL, and it’s an event that is truly special for him and Anaheim Ducks fans alike. Getzlaf is getting up there in the fame class of Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya, so why not cement that by having a big game to remember? This Ducks team has strived when someone leads them with early confidence, so it is a fantastic time for Getzlaf to step up.

It was incredibly special for Getzlaf to net the OT game-winner in his 999th game, but aside from that, he’s still had a fantastic season so far. Seven goals, three assists, and ten points coming in fifteen games. Simply put, he’s on fire, and he’ll have to go up against another NHL star on fire tonight to see who will lead their team. It will be a critical duel against Patrick Kane.

Containing Patrick Kane

Patrick Kane has had a very good season so far despite the struggles of his team. Three goals, seven assists, and ten points in twelve games so far, and he’s leading the team in every category. He might be thirty-years-old, but he does not show it in the slightest. He is a very smart player that can generate offense for a Hawks team that has almost none, so the main key on defense is to contain his passing and scoring chances.

Kane has two points in his past three games, and both have come off assists. He’s selfless like that, he’s willing to help the others on his team get hot. So if Anaheim can shut him down while allowing Getzlaf to have a big game, that should take off a lot of pressure in this stressful rivalry.

In closing, it’s not a matter of how bad the Hawks are or how easy this match-up is, the Anaheim Ducks have been very unfortunate against Chicago before. They are going to need a lot of early pressure, a fantastic 1000th game from Ryan Getzlaf, and the defense needs to step up and contain Patrick Kane. If Anaheim can pull that off, Getzlaf will have two things to celebrate tonight.

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