Blackhawks Cruise to Win Over Ducks After Seth Jones Trade

The Chicago Blackhawks snapped their five-game losing streak with an impressive 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks. It was a fun, wide-open game with some nastiness mixed in. The Blackhawks’ special teams provided three goals to lead the charge.

The night’s biggest news came about two hours before puck drop when the Blackhawks traded defenseman Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers. The move had to make focusing on the start of the game difficult, and that showed in the first six minutes. But the Blackhawks got their legs, became physically engaged, and played a good, scoreless first period.

Things opened up in the second period. After a flurry of chances, Wyatt Kaiser put the Blackhawks up 1-0 at 7:48. He shook off a defender at the blue line, then beat John Gibson with a wrist shot from the left dot.

The lead didn’t even last a minute as Leo Carlsson evened the score 45 seconds later. The Blackhawks responded with back-to-back goals to open up a 3-1 lead. The first came on the power-play when Lukas Reichel found Pat Maroon at the front of the net, where he stuffed it home. Teuvo Teravainen added his second point of the night with a goal from the slot off a nice feed from Ryan Donato. The Ducks came right back as defenseman Jackson LaCombe took advantage of a defensive zone breakdown to cut the lead to 3-2.

Reichel restored the Blackhawks’ two-goal lead with a shorthanded breakaway goal early in the third period.

Donato scored his 20th goal of the season while on a 5v3 power play after Frank Nazar drew two Anaheim penalties on the same shift. Three minutes later, Donato added to his career-high with a breakaway goal to increase the lead to 6-2.

Carlsson scored his second goal of the night with less than three minutes left, but it was far too late for the Ducks to mount a serious comeback.

Arvid Soderblom made 28 saves to earn his eighth win and help the Blackhawks take two out of three games from Anaheim in the season series.

The Ultimate Promotion for Andreas Athanasiou

Not only did Andreas Athanasiou get recalled by the Blackhawks on Friday, but he was immediately placed on the top line with Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi. Going from the Rockford IceHogs to Bedard’s left wing is quite the jump.

“It’s unbelievable to get to play with him,” Athanasiou said. “But no matter who it is, it’s another day you get to play hockey. You’ve got to go out and give it your best.”

Interim head coach Anders Sorensen felt comfortable putting Athanasiou on the top line because of his speed and NHL experience. He’s not a rookie getting his first taste of the NHL.

“He’s played at this level, so he’ll be a good injection, pace-wise,” said Sorensen. “He’s versatile and can play in all situations. We’re not winning right now, so we have to find different ways to create more chances while balancing the lineup.”

Athanasiou showed off that speed throughout the night. He got one of his patented breakaways where he didn’t score in the second period. With 12 penalties called, his ice time was limited to 14:02 of ice time. He had one shot on goal, four attempts, a takeaway, and a blocked shot. The line was on the ice for one goal against, gave up six scoring chances while producing three, and was at a 3-1 shot disadvantage in high-danger scoring chances.

Reaction to Seth Jones Trade

Trading away a veteran leader and alternate captain is never an easy decision. Although the deal looks like a win-win for everyone involved, you still have a locker room full of guys who have been going to war with Jones all season.

“It’s tough because he was a good leader for me,” Reichel said after the game. “Whatever I had, I can tell him and ask him questions. It’s definitely hard. But he’s going to a good team, and I think that’s what he wants. I hope he does well there.”

Alec Martinez joined the Blackhawks this past offseason. When he’s been healthy, he’s spent most of his time paired with Jones.

“He said how he felt,” Martinez said of Jones. “I think there’s probably a lot of frustration built up over time. I can’t really speak to that; I haven’t been here as long as he has. Obviously, it’s disappointing. I’ve come to get to know him. Really good guy. You obviously wish him the best. That’s the nature of the business with the deadline coming up.”

Jones leaves a void on the ice and in the locker room, but the organization was ready to move in a different direction. His absence will provide more opportunities for the younger defensemen. Ethan Del Mastro was the first to benefit as he played a career-high 19:56 against the Ducks.