For the third time in the opening seven games of the season for the Chicago Blackhawks, overtime was needed to determine a winner. The Blackhawks were tied 1-1 with the Anaheim Ducks after 60 minutes, with Mason McTavish evening the score with under a minute to play in regulation.
The first two overtime appearances for the Blackhawks didn’t result in victories, but they finally managed to come away with the extra point on Sunday night at the United Center. Connor Bedard set up Ryan Donato with a wide-open net to lift Chicago to a 2-1 win.
Sam Rinzel➡️Connor Bedard➡️Ryan Donato🚨
Bedard finds Donato in front for his 3rd goal of the season to lift the #Blackhawks to a 2-1 OT win! Donato gets his 2nd point of the game with the GWG.pic.twitter.com/fwXNRrgJuj
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) October 20, 2025
After a tough 0-2-1 start, the Blackhawks are now 3-2-2 through their opening seven games following Sunday’s win. The kids are proving they are capable of winning in this league right now, and several of them made a crucial impact versus Anaheim.
Here are the key stats and takeaways from Sunday’s overtime win.
Bedard Was Buzzing
There are few teams, if any, that Bedard loves playing more than the Ducks. Entering Sunday’s game, he had recorded 11 points in his first six career contests against Anaheim. For whatever reason, Bedard always seems to have his A-game when matching up with 2023 No. 2 overall pick Leo Carlsson, and that was certainly the case again on Sunday.
Bedard only registered one point with the primary assist on Donato’s game-winning goal, but he easily could have had more. He tallied a career-high nine shots on goal in his 24:37 of ice time, and he was rifling the puck on net seemingly every time he touched it in the offensive zone. Bedard finished the game with a team-high 11 shot attempts and five individual scoring chances.
Here’s a look at one of Bedard’s best scoring chances of the night.
With Bedard on the ice at even strength, the Blackhawks led 25-16 in shot attempts, 11-8 in shots on goal, 13-5 in scoring chances, and 5-3 in high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick. Bedard continues to be a driving force for the Blackhawks early on in the season. He was their best skater on Sunday.
“There are things that we’re doing right that the good teams do and the best players in the world do, and I think Connor is one of those guys,” Donato said about Bedard after the game. “He’s buying into that. It’s not like he hasn’t before, but we can really see the difference with him. It’s fun to be around, and that creates winning habits.”
Bedard saved his best play of the game for when it mattered the most, as he did an incredible job of sticking with the puck behind the Ducks’ net and finding a way to get the pass off to Donato in front.
Knight Keeps Shining
The only player for the Blackhawks that might have been better than Bedard on Sunday was goaltender Spencer Knight, who’s also been lights out against the Ducks in his young career. Knight was 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, .965 save percentage, and two shutouts in his first three starts against Anaheim entering Sunday.
Knight nearly had a third shutout to add to his resume, but the Ducks broke up his bid with 35.8 seconds remaining in regulation. With the extra attacker out, McTavish roofed a shot over Knight’s shoulder to even the score 1-1.
That was the only blemish for Knight on Sunday, as he stopped the other 38 shots that he faced to earn his second win of the season. The 24-year-old netminder saved 2.97 goals above expected in yet another sensational showing. Through his first five starts, Knight is now 2-2-1 with an incredible 1.96 GAA and .937 Sv%. He’s performing not only like a true No. 1 NHL goaltender, but an elite one, at that.
Donato Extends Point Streak
Donato extended his point streak to four games on the Blackhawks’ first goal of the night, as he registered the secondary assist on Frank Nazar’s tally. The 29-year-old forward was a little quiet out of the gate this season, but he’s started to look like the guy who potted 30 goals more and more over the last week.
The Blackhawks had a 7-3 edge in scoring chances and also led 3-2 in high-danger chances with Donato on the ice at even strength on Sunday. With Jason Dickinson out of the lineup with a nagging injury, Donato skated on the third line with Ryan Green and Colton Dach against the Ducks.
Donato didn’t let a change in the lineup affect his game whatsoever, as he was the lone Blackhawks player with multiple points in the win. He now has 5 points (3G, 2A) during his current point streak and has found the back of the net in three consecutive games.
3rd Period Response
Even though the Blackhawks weren’t able to hold onto their late lead, the third period was a major turning point for them in the game. After a fairly even opening frame, the ice tilted heavily in the Ducks’ favor during the second period. Anaheim led the Hawks 7-3 in shots on goal, 9-3 in scoring chances, and 6-1 in high-danger chances at even strength in the period. The momentum was not in favor of the home team heading into the third.
But the Blackhawks’ resiliency under new head coach Jeff Blashill has been rather impressive at times this season. Sunday was another example of that, as his team responded after a poor period to take control late in the game. They ended up out-chancing the Ducks 14-5 in the third period, in addition to a 5-1 lead in high-danger opportunities.
Blashill surely would have loved it if overtime wasn’t necessary on Sunday, but the strong play from his group in the third period set them up to get the win at 3-on-3.
“The second, I thought we hurt ourselves by not being strong enough on the puck and turning too many pucks over,” Blashill said. “In the third, we did a better job of when there were plays to be made, man, we went tape to tape, and it was fun to watch. But when there weren’t plays to be made, we made the smart play and got it in behind. Because of that, we played in their end more.”
Nazar Keeps Producing
Nazar’s ascension in his first full NHL season has been incredible to watch, and his consistent production has been massive for the Blackhawks’ offense so far.
But it’s not just about the points that Nazar has been racking up. What’s also stood out is his constant effort and well-rounded makeup, which gives him the ability to make plays in many different ways on the ice.
Nazar’s opening goal on Sunday showcased what makes him so special. He showed off his hustle after being knocked to the ice at the Ducks’ blue line, and then displayed his vision and skill with a pair of quality passes that led to his third tally of the season.
Through seven games, Nazar is tied for the Blackhawks’ team lead with seven points. Here’s an awesome picture shared by the NHL on social media of Nazar’s celebration after scoring.
Penalty Problems
Coming into Sunday, the Blackhawks led the NHL in penalty minutes and have been in the sin bin way too frequently. That’s an issue they MUST clean up moving forward, and they failed to do so against the Ducks.
The Blackhawks committed another five penalties in their 2-1 OT win, with two coming from Andre Burakovsky. Donato was also whistled for a bad tripping penalty in the second period.
The most costly infraction of the night came from Wyatt Kaiser late in the third period, as he flipped the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty with just under two minutes remaining. That gave Anaheim a 6-on-4 advantage, and they ended up tying the game.
The Blackhawks will exit Sunday still being the most penalized team in the league. While their penalty kill has done a fantastic job, as they rank 15th in the NHL at 81.8 percent, the amount of time they’ve had to spend on the ice is less than ideal.
New Look Top Line
In the latter stages of Friday’s loss to Vancouver, Blashill bumped Tyler Bertuzzi up to the top line with Bedard and Burakovsky. Because of how well they fared together, that trio was kept together again on Sunday, and that decision paid off.
The Bertuzzi-Bedard-Burakovsky line was the most effective grouping versus the Ducks, as they led 10-4 in shots on goal, 9-5 in scoring chances, and 5-4 in high-danger chances at even strength.
Expect Blashill to keep those three players together on the top line when the team returns to action next against Tampa Bay on Thursday.
Slaggert’s Season Debut
After missing the first six games with an upper-body injury, Landon Slaggert was finally healthy enough to make his season debut on Sunday. The 23-year-old forward skated on the Blackhawks’ fourth line with Lukas Reichel and had a few noticeable plays in the game.
Slaggert’s best opportunity of the night came near the midway point of the first period, as he lowered his shoulder and got around veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba to get a stuff shot off on goal.
Slaggert finished with one shot on goal and added one hit in a team-low 7:32 of ice time. With the Blackhawks consistently rolling out an 11-forward, seven-defenseman lineup, Slaggert will need to make the most of his chances to receive an increased role. He’s likely going to remain on the fourth line, which could give him opportunities to play more with Bedard. Blashill enjoys giving him extra shifts with the fourth liners.
Lafferty Scratched Again
For a fourth consecutive game, Sam Lafferty was the odd man out of the Blackhawks’ forward group. Lafferty took the ice for pregame warmups, but he ended up being a healthy scratch and watching from the press box once again.
Nick Foligno and Dickinson weren’t in the lineup for the Blackhawks on Sunday, but the hope is that both players will be able to rejoin the team in the near future. That’s not going to make life any easier for Lafferty in terms of drawing back in, as it’s pretty clear where he stands within the roster. And that’s without two forwards currently. His speed and defensive prowess are useful, but the Blackhawks simply have other players they would prefer to play consistently.
MUCH NEEDED REST!
After playing seven games in a 12-day stretch to begin the 2025-26 campaign, the Blackhawks will have the next three days off before taking on the Lightning for their next contest. That comes at a vital time for the group, as they have been banged up already early on in the season. They’ll only play two games over the next eight days.
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