The Blackhawks closed their four-game road trip in disastrous fashion, getting hammered 7–1 by the Anaheim Ducks. It’s their second straight blowout in two nights after the 6–0 loss in Los Angeles, and it brings back memories of the 9–3 defeat in Buffalo two weeks ago, which was also the second game of a back-to-back. Three heavy losses in the same scenario, and the pattern is getting harder to ignore.
Chicago was outshot 53–20 and never found their legs. As one scout said after the game: “This is a time where it felt like they didn’t learn a lesson from Buffalo.”
This is more than a bad night — it’s historic. It’s the first time since 1951 the Blackhawks have lost by 6+ goals in consecutive games. And it’s the first NHL team to do it on back-to-back nights since the Atlanta Thrashers in November 2000.
Game Summary
The Blackhawks never found their footing in Anaheim, falling behind early and getting overrun in a 7–1 loss where the Ducks generated 53 shots on goal — their highest total in more than a decade. From the opening shift, Anaheim dictated the pace, owned the neutral zone, and pressured Chicago’s defense into repeated mistakes.
The night unraveled at 10:16 of the first period when Ilya Mikheyev attempted a blind pass across his own slot. Jacob Trouba jumped on the loose puck and hammered a slap shot past Arvid Soderblom for a 1–0 Ducks lead. It was a sign of what was coming: slow decisions, sloppy exits, and constant defensive-zone scramble.
Anaheim completely took over in the second period, outshooting Chicago 27–7 — the most shots they’ve ever recorded in a single period. The deeper numbers tell an even clearer story of domination:
- Shot attempts after 40 minutes: 66–26 ANA
- Shots on goal after 40 minutes: 43–13 ANA
- Scoring chances: 33–7 ANA
- High-danger chances: 21–1 ANA
At 5-on-5 in the second alone, the Ducks owned a 15–3 scoring chance edge and a 9–0 high-danger advantage. The Blackhawks were completely overwhelmed in every zone, and the dam eventually broke. Mason McTavish doubled the lead on a power play after Beckett Sennecke fed him a perfect backdoor pass. Sennecke made it 3–0 minutes later with a wrist shot under Soderblom’s blocker. Alex Killorn then blew past Sam Rinzel on a breakaway to make it 4–0, and a deflection off Artyom Levshunov allowed Leo Carlsson to push the game to 5–0.
By the second intermission, the Ducks were ahead 5–0, and Chicago’s penalty kill had already surrendered two goals on five Anaheim power plays.
Just 15 seconds into the third period, Carlsson scored again on a backdoor redirect to make it 6–0. Chicago finally avoided a second straight shutout when Tyler Bertuzzi scored on a power play at 1:40, but Anaheim answered late with a Frank Vatrano one-timer to close out the 7–1 rout.
After the game, Jeff Blashill didn’t hold back:
“Everybody’s so close that when you’re off your game, it’s a tough night. Last night, at least, the first period I thought we were the better team. Tonight, from the start to the finish, they were clearly the better team.”
He continued:
“When you get your butt kicked on the scoreboard two nights in a row like that — and tonight was a total whooping — your confidence slips. But this is a big boy league. You’ve got to have mental toughness and find a way to get back at it.”
Soderblom faced an onslaught and finished with 46 saves, an NHL career high, but he had little help in front of him. The Ducks attacked in waves, won every battle, and turned every mistake into pressure or scoring chances.
Meanwhile, Anaheim’s depth rolled. Carlsson scored twice, Sennecke added a goal and an assist, and Ville Husso needed only 19 saves for the win. It was a complete performance from a Ducks team trending upward — and a painful reminder for Chicago of how quickly games can spiral when their structure disappears.
Game Stats
| Stat | Blackhawks | Ducks |
| Final Score | 1 | 7 |
| Shots on Goal | 20 | 53 |
| Faceoff % | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Power Play | 1/2 | 2/5 |
| Penalty Minutes | 10 | 4 |
| Hits | 15 | 15 |
| Blocked Shots | 10 | 8 |
| Giveaways | 17 | 12 |
| Takeaways | 5 | 4 |
Three Stars of the Game
1️⃣ Leo Carlsson (ANA)
G: 2 | A: 0 | P: 2
2️⃣ Beckett Sennecke (ANA)
G: 1 | A: 1 | P: 2
3️⃣ Chris Kreider (ANA)
G: 0 | A: 2 | P: 2
Final Thought
This wasn’t just a loss — it was a setback that exposed every weakness the Blackhawks have been trying to clean up all season. Getting hammered 7–1, giving up 53 shots, and collapsing in a second period where you’re outshot 27–7 is more than a bad night. It’s a statement about readiness, focus, and execution. Anaheim didn’t just beat Chicago; they controlled every inch of the ice, won every battle, and dictated every shift. The Ducks played fast, heavy, and connected. The Hawks looked tired, disconnected, and overwhelmed.
Back-to-back games are hard, but this league doesn’t give sympathy for fatigue. It demands structure, it demands discipline, and it demands competitiveness even when your legs are gone. And none of that was there tonight.
The turnovers, the missed assignments, the soft coverage — it all added up to a performance that simply isn’t acceptable for a team trying to build an identity under Jeff Blashill.
The message from the coach afterward said everything: this is a “big boy league,” and getting blown out two nights in a row tests your confidence. But it also tests your leadership. It tests your pride. It tests the standard in the room.
How the Blackhawks respond to this matters. Do they tighten up defensively? Can they clean up the puck management? Do they show more pushback? Or do they let one awful road trip spiral into something bigger?
There’s no hiding from this kind of defeat. And there’s no excuse for it happening again.
The Hawks now have a choice: regroup, reset, and show some real backbone — or let teams keep punching them in the mouth. The next game will reveal a lot about who they are, and who they want to become.
Next Game
The Blackhawks return home on Wednesday, December 10 at 7:00 PM CDT, where they’ll face the New York Rangers and look to reset after a difficult ending to their road trip. Chicago finishes the four-game swing 1-2-1, which on paper isn’t terrible — especially considering they started the trip 1-0-1. But the reality is the last two games did real damage. Getting outscored 12–1 over 48 hours can shake the confidence of any group, especially a young team still learning how to respond when momentum turns against them.
And this is exactly where Jeff Blashill’s challenge begins. He has a few days to stabilize the room, clean up the structure, and restore the confidence that evaporated over the weekend. Young teams can be fragile mentally, and when things snowball, they snowball fast. The next practice habits, the next video sessions, the next message from the coaching staff — they matter.
The Rangers won’t make anything easy. They’re skilled, and disciplined, and they will punish the same mistakes that sank Chicago in Anaheim and Los Angeles. For the Blackhawks, this isn’t just another game — it’s an early-season test of character. How they respond on Wednesday will say a lot about their resilience, their growth, and their ability to move past two ugly losses.
A bounce-back effort is required. A statement performance is needed. It’s up to the Hawks to deliver one.
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