Ducks Morning Skate: Preview at Blackhawks, How to Watch, Lines, Odds
GAME 4: Anaheim Ducks (2-2-0, 4 PTS) at Chicago Blackhawks (2-2-2, 6 PTS)
When: Sunday, 4 p.m. Pacific
Where: United Center, Chicago, Ill.
Local TV: KCOP-13, Victory+
Radio: Ducks Stream
ML: ANA -125, CHI +105
Line: ANA -1.5
O/U: 6.5
Projected Starting Goaltenders: Ducks - Lukáš Dostál; Blackhawks - Spencer Knight
Injuries: Ducks - Ryan Strome (IR, upper-body), Jansen Harkins (IR, upper-body); Blackhawks - Jason Dickinson (OUT), Nick Foligno (OUT)
The Anaheim Ducks set out on their first extended road trip of the season with an eastward swing beginning in Chicago on Sunday.
After facing their first test of a Stanley Cup contender last Thursday in a 4-1 loss to Carolina, the Ducks open this road trip against a different kind of benchmark in the Blackhawks. Anaheim will then move on to Nashville and Boston–who both missed the playoffs last season–before finishing off against perennial contender Tampa Bay and two-time reigning Cup champion Florida.
“It’s a huge road trip for us,” Cutter Gauthier said. “We can’t take anything for granted. We have to go out there and ultimately win and get points. We can’t come home empty handed whatsoever.”
Starting in Chicago, both teams feel like they’re in similar timelines of their rebuilds, with the Blackhawks drafting Connor Bedard No. 1 overall in 2023 and Anaheim selecting Leo Carlsson No. 2 overall in the same draft. In practicality, the Ducks are probably a step further, as they push toward the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons, but the Blackhawks have put up a competitive start.
“Start off our trip in a positive way and getting off to a good start would be the perfect beginning to our trip,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said at practice back in Orange County on Saturday. “But, hey, they're playing hard as a team. They're a young team that's looked like they're kind of in a comparable place as us. So, that'll be a good test in that regard.”
It’s also the start of an interestingly personal roadtrip for Quenneville beginning in Chicago, where he won three Stanley Cups, and ending in Florida, where he last coached in 2021 before he stepped down due to the results of an investigation into the internal handling of allegations of sexual assault by a video coach with the 2010 champion Blackhawks.
When asked about the return Saturday, Quenneville mentioned he had been back with Florida and focused on the good memories. When asked specifically about returning for the first time since the investigation and his resulting NHL ban, still spoke glowingly of his time in the city while being unsure what the reaction might be.
“Well, I don't know,” Quenneville said. “We had a good relationship with the city and the fans in the rink. We've had great people around us throughout our time there. We loved living in Hinsdale. We love Chicago. I can't forecast that, but I'm certainly, you know–they’ve been very nice over the years. So, we're excited about being part of it.”
Projected Ducks Line-Up:
Chris Kreider-Leo Carlsson-Alex Killorn
Cutter Gauthier-Mason McTavish-Beckett Sennecke
Frank Vatrano-Mikael Granlund-Troy Terry
Ross Johnston-Ryan Poehling-Sam Colangelo
Jackson LaCombe-Radko Gudas
Olen Zellweger-Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov-Drew Helleson
Lukáš Dostál
Petr Mrázek
Projected Ducks Scratches: Nikita Nesterenko