The Chicago Blackhawks are back in Anaheim for the first time since winning the all-important Game 7 in last year’s Western Conference finals. Patrick Kane is in seemingly unstoppable form at the moment, and he’ll lead the defending champion Hawks against a Ducks team that hasn’t come close to reaching the heights of last season. Will the Blackhawks leave the Honda Center with another win over Anaheim?
Get a full breakdown of this marquee Western Conference matchup. And for more of Friday’s fun NHL action, check out our preview of the Islanders vs. Panthers.
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Chicago Blackhawks vs. Anaheim Ducks Preview
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim
When: Friday, November 28, 2015 5:00 PM ET
Line: Chicago Blackhawks (-320) at Anaheim Ducks (+260); total 5.0 – view all NHL lines
Betting on the Chicago Blackhawks (12-8-2)
Four games down, two more to go in the Chicago Blackhawks’ annual circus-induced road trip. After having a tough time up in Canada – an overtime win over Edmonton followed by back-to-back losses at Calgary (2-1 in OT) and Vancouver (6-3) – the Blackhawks began the California leg of their trip with a 5-2 win over San Jose.
[sc:NHL240 ]The point machine that is Patrick Kane added two more assists at San Jose to extend his career-best scoring streak to 17 games. Kane is currently tops in the NHL with 34 points and is tied for second with 13 goals. Meanwhile, goalie Corey Crawford bounced back from his poor showing against the Canucks (five goals allowed on just 19 shots) as he gave up just two goals and made 27 saves against the Sharks.
Crawford’s performances have been fairly middling to start the season. He’s 10-6-1 with a 2.57 GAA (27th in the NHL) and .912 save percentage (23rd) in 17 starts.
However, he had arguably his best performance of the season against the Ducks back in late October. He saved a season-high 39 shots en route to a shutout in a 1-0 Blackhawks win. Chicago is 7-3 in its last 10 meetings against Anaheim with Crawford between the sticks.
Crawford should expect some more goal support this time around, especially with Kane in fine form. Kane and Jonathan Toews each averaged a point per game in their seven-game Western Conference finals win over Anaheim last year, while defenseman Duncan Keith had eight assists.
The Anaheim Ducks still haven’t discovered the form that got them within one game of the Stanley Cup Finals last season. After seemingly righting the ship with four-straight wins to start November, the Ducks have subsequently dropped six of their next nine games.
If goal scoring was the main issue during their disastrous one-win October, the goaltending which was keeping the Ducks afloat has since fallen off a cliff in the past couple of weeks.
Frederik Andersen has missed the past two games due to the flu, but he had been struggling prior to his enforced absence. He’s given up 17 goals in his last five starts, four of which have ended in defeat. He was thrashed 5-0 by Tampa Bay in his most recent outing last Saturday.
John Gibson, who was called up from the minors after Andersen’s illness, started his first game of the season in Anaheim’s last game at Arizona, but conceded three goals in a 4-2 loss.
It remains to be seen who starts between the sticks against Chicago, but at least whoever it is can expect a bit more help from the offense. Although the Ducks have still scored just 45 goals, the second-fewest in the entire NHL behind only the Philadelphia Flyers, they’ve been averaging a much more respectable 2.6 goals per game in November.
The power play has been especially potent, going 5-of-9 in the last four games. The Ducks’ ability to capitalize on the man advantage will be crucial against a Chicago penalty kill that has struggled thus far this season (79 percent, 20th in the NHL).
Writer’s Prediction
Kane continues his streak as the Blackhawks deal the Ducks another defeat, 3-1.
