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The Anaheim Ducks picked up a win in the second half of their road back-to-back last night, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in overtime.
Troy Terry was unavailable for the Ducks, while Sam Carrick and Nathan Beaulieu came out of the lineup as well. Brett Leason and Colton White suited up in their place, while Derek Grant also made his return to action and Anthony Stolarz got the start.
It wasn’t an overly eventful opening frame, but the Ducks did come out with a solid period, outshooting Chicago 9-6. However, it was the Blackhawks who struck under two minutes into the second period to open the scoring, as Colton White lost the puck below the goal line and Jason Dickinson beat Anthony Stolarz five-hole. However, Brett Leason responded for the Ducks shortly after, poking in a rebound that was mishandled by Petr Mrazek, after his initial shot was stopped.
Chicago pulled back ahead a few minutes later though, with Seth Jones taking a pass on a rush as the Ducks were caught up ice and beating Stolarz. However, under three minutes after that, Brett Leason stripped the puck off Seth Jones and after it came free, Jayson Megna just threw it on net and somehow beat Mrazek, tying the game.
The Ducks did take a couple penalties afterwards and the third period was largely controlled by the Blackhawks, but Stolarz came up with some key saves to keep the game tied.
What followed was a relatively uneventful overtime, until Isac Lundestrom made a great pass over to Frank Vatrano, who went to the backhand to beat Mrazek and win it for the Ducks.
It wasn’t necessarily Anaheim’s best game after the opening frame and they were certainly on their heels at times, but they got the game to overtime in the second half of a road back-to-back and managed to pull out the win. Picking up three of a possible four points over the two games (following their shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Monday) can be deemed a success.
For the second game in a row, Anaheim’s goaltending played a factor in getting them past regulation, though. While the first goal against Anthony Stolarz was a little weak, he more than made up for it with some key saves as the game went on.
That said, the fourth line made the difference as well, and specifically Brett Leason. His efforts led to both goals in the second period, getting the rebound on the first marker, then forcing the turnover from Jones on the Megna goal.
So dating back to before the break, the Ducks are actually now on a five-game point streak and have five wins over their last seven games. Picking up a win over the Blackhawks doesn’t necessarily help with their odds at Connor Bedard, but the Ducks are continuing to get more competitive, which is good to see.
Anaheim will be back in action on Friday, when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM FEBRUARY
Where do the Ducks go from here?
Ducks battle back against Stars but fall in shootout 
Anaheim Ducks Blogger • 
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