Ducks at Chicago, vs Blackhawks

With the trade deadline looming, I found myself wondering how many of our Ducks would be playing their last game as a Duck in Chicago tonight. Would the outcome of this game make a difference in any of those trade decisions?

Either way, I was hoping for a win in Chicago. How amazing would this road trip be, if we could get away with winning four out of the six games?

But, we could easily lose this one too. After all, these are the Blackhawks and this game is in their home territory. It's not a nice, warm fuzzy feeling out there in Chitown.

And it wasn't warm fuzzies that I felt as the Hawks owned that first goal barely one minute into the first period. It wasn't warm fuzzies either that I felt as the Ducks came up with nothing in their first power play. It's as if our boys tripped up right out of the gate.

They stepped up their game in the second half of the first period, Mike Brown made an amazing play, single-handedly maneuvering around a wall of red jerseys and coming out on a one-on-one with Hawks' netminder Cristobal Huet. A skilled pokecheck by Huet stopped his goal attempt, but I'm very impressed with Brown's moxy.

The Ducks get a couple more goal opportunities, can't capitalize, but I feel like they're trying to meet their aggressors mid-ice now. J.S. Giguere is in net, starting every game in this road trip. He can't do much to stop the Hawks' second goal, a breakaway that leaves Steve Montador the lone defenseman in the Anaheim zone against three advancing forwards.

Those Blackhawks can move, let me tell you. They've got speed, they've got strength, and they've got agility. It's downright scary.

Ducks go on a penalty kill later on in the first. Brown impresses again as he makes a short-handed breakaway for the net. He fires on Huet, it's blocked, but he catches his own rebound and fires again. Huet sprawls, makes the save, and the puck bounces behind the net where Brown almost reclaims it AGAIN.

Go Brown! He's winning over teammates and fans with this game.

Giggy's making some great saves, but then, so is Huet. Ducks finish the first without a mark on the scoreboard, 0-2.

There's a couple of lucky breaks for our Ducks in the second period. Giggy barely pins a puck, but it's slipping past him and into the net. The whistle is blown right as one of the Hawks attempts to poke it through. If they hadn't done that, I think it would have been a valid goal.

Soon after, Huet makes the fatal error of being caught outside the crease for too long, Perry fires it in front, and Drew Miller knocks it into a nearly empty net for his first goal of the season.

And two minutes later, my boy Bobby Ryan makes his 22nd goal of the season after being in the right place at the right time, as he always seems to be. Pronger slams the puck from the blue line. It goes just wide of the net, but Andrew Ebbett is on it, taking it around the net and firing it out front. The Hawk defenders are tied up with Teemu, and Huet is caught off guard as the puck bounces into the slot just as Bobby is skating up to the net. A quick shot over a sprawling Huet ties the game.

I'm telling you, that second line continues to rock!

Our Ducks are super fired up now. They make continuous shots on net, fighting hard in the Blackhawk zone. A pair of attempts eat pipe, but no net. Their momentum takes them right into a power play, but unfortunately, they can't set up to make any shots on goal.

There's a tense moment as George Parros takes a high stick to the right eye. Play continues, but I'm worried about our Ducks enforcer. He shows up on the ice for his next shift, with a bandaged cut under his right eye. Thank goodness. Travis Moen takes a hit and limps back to the Ducks' bench, no word on him for the rest of the period.

Before the period ends, the Duck do a terrific job killing a penalty against Brendan Morrison. Our boys definitely took control this period. And we go into the second intermission tied 2-2.

The third period starts with a similar feel. Lots of action, lots of moving the puck around. Both teams are playing ferociously, it's like watching a playoff match. The first half of the period goes without any goals. I'm holding my breath all the way up to the last minute of the game. There are some amazing saves by Giggy, some beautiful attempts by the Ducks in front of Huet, and some impressive footwork by the Duck defenders.

As the game goes into overtime, I'm thankful the Ducks are taking at least a point away from this one. It's a turnover that lands a puck into the Duck net, despite a galiant effort by Perry to defend. Yes, it's a loss, but I think the Ducks put up a very good fight. Final score, 2-3.