Blackhawks blow lead against Ducks, lose eighth in row

CHICAGO -- The Anaheim Ducks scored three straight goals to hand the Chicago Blackhawks their eighth consecutive loss, 3-2 at United Center on Thursday.
It is Chicago's longest losing streak since going 0-8-1 from Jan. 21-Feb. 13, 2012.

WATCH: [All Ducks vs. Blackhawks highlights]
Ondrej Kase had a goal and two assists, Nick Ritchie and Adam Henrique each had a goal and an assist, and John Gibson made 42 saves for the Ducks, who are 3-1-1 in their past five games.

Henrique put Anaheim ahead 3-2 at 8:34 of the third period when he backhanded a shot past goalie Anton Forsberg.
"It was big for us," Henrique said of the win following a two-game skid (0-1-1). "I think we just cleaned up our game as the game went on, and once we did that, we started playing better and obviously started getting chances and playing with the puck in the offensive zone."
The Ducks (28-20-11, 67 points) trail the Minnesota Wild by one point for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
Duncan Keith and Brandon Saad scored in the first period, and Forsberg made 29 saves for the Blackhawks (24-26-8).
"I thought we had a perfect game going up to 2-0, and then both their goals, [we] had everything you want," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "[We] had cycle, [we] had possession, [we] had zone time, and whether [we're] tired or not, both of them turned into our net."
Henrique's goal was his sixth game-winner for the Ducks since being acquired in a trade from the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 30.
"He's come in and fit into our hockey club in a pretty seamless manner," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "He's continued to make a contribution not only on the offensive side, but on the defensive side of it too. He's a real smart player, and we feel that we're very, very fortunate to have him."
Ritchie and Kase scored 2:25 apart in the second period to tie the game. Ritchie went forehand to backhand to beat Forsberg at 9:53 to make it 2-1, and Kase scored on a breakaway at 12:18 to tie it 2-2.

"It was not going our way there, they score a couple goals, then we get a couple breaks and we tie it pretty fast," Ritchie said. "That happens in games. You never get too low and not too high either. It was a huge win for us, obviously not a perfect game, but we'll take the two points."
Saad gave the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead at 9:12 of the second period, ending a 16-game goal drought dating to Jan. 7.
Keith scored his first goal of the season at 1:45 of the second, ending a 67-game drought dating to March 16, 2017.
"They're a desperate team, we're a desperate team," said Gibson, who made 16 saves in the third period. "So, I mean, if they scored, we were going to have that (push). Obviously, we scored, and we knew they were going to come. You look at the lineup they have, and that's what they do."

Goal of the game

Henrique's goal at 8:34 of the third period.

Saves of the game

Gibson stopping Brent Seabrook at 18:49 of the third period and Saad at 18:52.

Highlight of the game

Kase's goal at 12:18 of the second period.

They said it

"You take the two points and move forward. We're going into another tough building in another huge game for us, so we can't sit on this one for long. We've got to take the positives and hopefully carry over that momentum on Saturday." -- Ducks forward Adam Henrique
"We've been talking about trying to get that good feeling in here, just winning one game, and that starts by winning a period and then just carrying it through for a full 60 minutes. Overall, it's been frustrating, but the only way we can ever change that is the guys in the room." -- Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith

Need to know

It was the second three-point game of Kase's NHL career (Jan. 13 at the Los Angeles Kings). ... Henrique has nine goals in his past 14 games after scoring five in his first 20 games with the Ducks. ... Ducks defenseman Marcus Pettersson was plus-2 in 13:28 in his NHL debut after being recalled from San Diego of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. ... Kane hasn't had a point in five straight games, his longest drought since going six games without a point March 20-31, 2009. ... DeBrincat has two goals and two assists in a three-game point streak.

What's next

Ducks:At the Minnesota Wild on Saturday (2 p.m. ET; FS-N, PRIME, NHL.TV)
Blackhawks: Host the Washington Capitals on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET; WGN, NBCSWA, NHL.TV)