The Chicago Blackhawks' high-flying offense is the NHL's most prolific this season. However, it took a big effort in the other two zones for Chicago to come out on top of a key Western Conference battle with the visiting Anaheim Ducks.
The Ducks came into Friday's tilt at the United Center with the mantle of the hottest team in the league: an 18-1 run through the NHL dating back to Dec. 6. On that day, Anaheim defeated the Hawks 3-2. Friday, Chicago handed the Ducks their first loss of 2014 with a 4-2 decision.
The Blackhawks have been scuffling a bit on the offensive end in recent games. For that reason it was great to see that they are capable of putting the clamps on an elite scoring unit.
Anaheim entered play Friday third in the league behind Chicago and St. Louis with 3.4 goals per contest. For the bulk of the game, however, the Hawks held their guests in check.
The Ducks were challenged at the Chicago blue line and in the neutral zone all evening. The defensemen were aggressive and on this night, it paid off. Anaheim was limited to just 21 shots Friday, over ten short of its season average.
Chicago outdrew ...
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Article written by Jon Fromi
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