Blackhawks 5, Ducks 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Chicago Blackhawks basked in the warm embrace of their third triumph over the Western Conference in seven years, while the Anaheim Ducks felt only a cold, abrupt shove from the playoffs for the third straight season.
Chicago rolled to a 5-2 victory over Anaheim Saturday at Honda Center, sending them onto the Stanley Cup finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Blackhawks will be playing for their third Stanley Cup since 2010, while the Ducks will have all summer to regroup from their third consecutive elimination in a Game 7.
Center Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks' captain, netted a pair of goals. Left winger Brandon Saad, right winger Marian Hossa and defenseman Brent Seabrook also tallied for Chicago. Right winger Patrick Kane had three assists, while center Brad Richards and defenseman Duncan Keith each contributed two helpers.
Center Ryan Kesler, right winger Corey Perry and left winger Matt Beleskey scored for Anaheim.
Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford made 35 saves while his counterpart Frederik Andersen stopped 21 shots.
The Ducks would cut their deficit to 4-2 11:36 into the third period. Left winger Patrick Maroon showed off his hands with a dangle that went from his forehand to his backhand and back to his forehand to send a cross-crease pass to Perry for a goal.
Hossa would suck the momentum out of Anaheim's game in one sequence, stripping defenseman Cam Fowler and then drawing a penalty against him on the resulting rush.
Chicago would add to their advantage 13:23 into the final frame. Kane sent a seeing-eye saucer pass diagonally from the left corner to the right point, where Seabrook hammered a slapshot home for an insurance marker.
Anaheim would add an academic power-play goal with 41 seconds remaining when Beleskey deflected Fowler's slapshot into the net.
Chicago opened the scoring 2:23 into the game. Kane sped down right-wing wall, threw on the brakes and turned to pass to the point for defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. His shot generated a rebound that Toews popped into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Toews would stretch the lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal at 11:55. He rotated from the goal line to the top of the right faceoff circle, where he rifled a snap shot through traffic.
The Blackhawks wasted no time carrying their dominance over into the second period.
It was the Toews line again, as his running mates Saad and Kane combined on a goal. Defenseman Johnny Oduya won a board battle and dished the puck into the slot for Kane, who found Saad in front of an open net.
After a flurry of shots on goal by the Ducks proved futile, Chicago started the presses on the Anaheim season's obituary. Hossa collected a loose puck in the neutral zone, which he then lobbed toward the net for Richards.
Richards's shot hit Andersen's torso and dribbled back into the crease, where it was redirected in by Hossa's skate. Though his stick never touched the puck, Hossa's goal was upheld upon review due to the absence of "a distinct kicking motion."
The Ducks got on the scoreboard with 1:09 left in the second period. After they took a penalty to prematurely end their first power play of the game, it was Kesler firing in a shot over Crawford's shoulder from a bad angle parallel to the goal line.
NOTES: Anaheim inserted LW Tomas Fleischmann back into the lineup. He replaced LW Emerson Etem, as he did in Game 5. ... Chicago remained without D Trevor van Riemsdyk (knee) and D Michal Rozsival (ankle). Rozsival's fracture will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs and van Riemsdyk's return after midseason knee surgery remains very much in question. ... Blackhawks D Kimmo Timonen was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. D David Rundblad assumed his position.