Connor Bedard has big night as Blackhawks rout the Ducks
CHICAGO — Connor Bedard had a goal and four assists to set his single-game high in points, Philipp Kurashev scored twice and had two assists, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Ducks 7-2 on Tuesday night.
Ryan Donato, Seth Jones, MacKenzie Entwistle and Tyler Johnson also scored for Chicago, which has won two straight games for just the second time this season.
Brett Leason scored both goals for the Ducks, who dropped their third straight.
Bedard, the top overall pick in last year’s draft and a leading candidate for rookie of the year, earned his fifth point when he assisted on Johnson’s power-play goal midway through the third period. The 18-year-old Bedard has eight points in two games and 10 in the last four.
The Blackhawks, suddenly resurgent on the power play, scored four times with the man advantage.
“Give them credit,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “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.”
The Ducks give up three power-play goals and goaltender John Gibson struggles in a 6-2 loss to a Dallas Stars team that has won four straight games.
Leason’s short-handed goal opened the scoring midway through the first period, but the Blackhawks evened the score before their power play expired when Donato poked the puck behind Gibson during a goal-mouth scrum.
It took Chicago just 1:34 to tie the score a second time following Leason’s goal early in the second period. Kurashev took Bedard’s pass on a two-on-one and beat Gibson from short right wing. Nick Foligno picked up the first of his career-high four assists by starting the play.
Jones’ pinch deep into the Ducks’ end resulted in the Blackhawks’ second power-play score and a 3-2 lead, with Bedard picking up an assist.
Chicago made it 4-2 with 28 seconds left in the middle period when Bedard scored his 20th of the season, set up by Kurashev, who collected his 100th NHL point. Bedard is the first Blackhawk to score 20 goals as an 18-year-old since Ed Olczyk did it in 70 games as a rookie in the 1984-85 season.
Forward Andreas Athanasiou returned to the Blackhawks’ lineup after sitting out 60 games because of an injured groin. He set up Entwistle’s goal.
Up next
Ducks are at Minnesota on Thursday.
