Connor Bedard notched a goal and four assists, reaching a career-high in single-game points, while Philipp Kurashev scored twice and added two assists, guiding the Chicago Blackhawks to a dominant 7-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.
Ryan Donato, Seth Jones, MacKenzie Entwistle, and Tyler Johnson also contributed goals for Chicago, marking just the second time this season that they’ve secured consecutive wins.
“We have to realize it’s only two games,” emphasized Chicago coach Luke Richardson. “We’re doing a great job to get to this point, and now we’ve got to push it even more.” Brett Leason managed both goals for the Ducks, who suffered their third consecutive loss.
Bedard, the first overall pick in last year’s draft and a frontrunner for rookie of the year, showcased his talent with five points in the game, including his fifth assist on Johnson’s power-play goal in the third period. The 18-year-old phenom has amassed eight points in the last two games and 10 in the past four.
“There were a lot of positives,” Bedard remarked modestly. “It’s funny. I had eight straight games without a goal, then you have a couple of big ones and people forget about that. Enjoy, but we’ve got to turn the page.”
The Blackhawks revitalized on the power play and capitalized four times with the man advantage. “Give them credit,” admitted Anaheim coach Greg Cronin. “It’s a 4-2 game, and they came out the second or third shift of the third period and stripped us of the puck on a forecheck and made it 5-2 (on Entwistle’s goal). Now you’re chasing the game.”
Apart from a third-period altercation behind his net, Chicago goalie Petr Mrazek had a relatively uneventful night, making 27 saves. Anaheim’s John Gibson stopped 20 shots before engaging in the scuffle and being replaced by Lukas Dostal, who made four saves.
Leason struck first with a short-handed goal midway through the first period, but the Blackhawks responded before the power play expired, with Donato finding the back of the net.
Chicago quickly leveled the score again early in the second period, with Kurashev converting Bedard’s pass on a 2-on-1 rush. Jones then gave the Blackhawks the lead with their second power-play goal.
The Blackhawks extended their lead to 4-2 just before the end of the second period, courtesy of Bedard’s 20th goal of the season, assisted by Kurashev, who reached his 100th NHL point.
Forward Andreas Athanasiou made a return to the Blackhawks’ lineup after a 60-game absence due to a groin injury, contributing an assist on Entwistle’s goal.
