RECAP: Blackhawks Rally from Three-Goal Deficit to Defeat Ducks 

CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard scored twice in the third period, including the go-ahead goal midway through the period, and had two assists to help the Chicago Blackhawks rally from down three for a 5-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks at United Center on Sunday.

Bedard gave Chicago a 4-3 lead at 9:55 after he retrieved the puck in front of the net and put it past Ville Husso following a giveaway by Anaheim forward Alex Killorn. Husso had just entered the game 46 seconds prior after Petr Mrazek left with an apparent injury while reaching for the puck.

Bedard then scored into an empty net at 18:05 for the 5-3 final.

The Blackhawks trailed 3-0 midway through the first period.

"That's not an acceptable start,” Bedard said. “I think everyone took it upon themselves to up their game a little bit. That's a game we needed, five games straight without being able to get a win. I think we all took initiative there after the first and stepped it up.

"I don't know if it's extra important. That's not something we want to get used to or have be a standard for us. It's not good enough in the first, but we know there isn't any quit in here. We believe we can come back any time and win any game, so it's good to see that. Good to have that response from the whole group."

Tyler Bertuzzi, Ryan Greene and Colton Dach also scored for the Blackhawks (11-9-5), who had lost five in a row (0-4-1). Spencer Knight made 23 saves.

“These are moments with our team,” Chicago coach Jeff Blashill said. “We’re going to have ups and downs. We’re going to have highs, we’re going to have some lows. We talked about trying to minimize the lows. But I think these are important learning moments for our group. Sometimes that happens.

“I think we've done a pretty good job of that. We've stayed in it pretty good in some tough moments. We've had different moments, and for the most part, we've stayed pretty level-headed. It's an important piece of what we're trying to build here: not having the big emotional highs and lows. You've just got to stay with it. These games are played for 60 minutes for a reason.”

Cutter Gauthier had a goal and an assist, Chris Kreider scored for his 600th NHL point, and Troy Terry had two assists for the Ducks (15-9-1), who had won four of six (4-2-0). Mrazek made 13 saves on 16 shots before leaving the game. Husso allowed a goal on the only shot he faced.

“We started taking some penalties,” said Anaheim defenseman Olen Zellweger, who also scored. “We started playing not hard enough, not simple enough. Turnovers and stuff started costing you. We know to play harder than that and better than that. It’s just unfortunate we gave them so many chances.”

Anaheim scored three goals in the first period, including two in the first 47 seconds of the game.

“We’ve been preaching it all season, how we need to come out firing,” Gauthier said. “It’s been too many times this season where we started the game down a goal or down two goals. I was really happy with our group to come out with a couple goals there We’ve got to keep on building it, but it’s a full 60 we need.”

Gauthier gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead 15 seconds into the game. Terry carried the puck into the offensive zone and passed it from the right face-off circle to Gauthier in the left circle. Gauthier then put a wrist shot past Knight’s stick.

Zellweger scored 32 seconds later to make it 2-0. Knight saved a shot by Terry, but the rebound came out to Zellweger, who shot the puck in from the left dot.

The goals were the fastest two goals to begin a game in Ducks history. The previous mark was held by Corey Perry and Patrick Eaves, who scored 1:37 into the game on March 28, 2017.

Kreider pushed it to 3-0 at 10:25 when he deflected in Beckett Sennecke’s shot from the right circle.

Bertuzzi cut it to 3-1 at 17:57 with a power-play goal. Frank Nazar shot the puck from the top of the right circle, and Bertuzzi deflected it in.

Greene made it 3-2 at 6:43 of the second period, finishing off a 2-on-1 with Bedard, who carried the puck into the offensive zone on the right side and passed to Greene for a one-timer from the left circle.

"He's been playing unbelievable,” Bedard said of Greene. “I was talking to him, and he's always open. He's always in a spot where one of us can find him and he can get a look. He's got an unbelievable shot.”

Dach’s power-play goal tied it 3-3 at 12:34. Teuvo Teravainen passed the puck to Dach from the left-wing board, and Dach put the puck past Mrazek’s glove.

Killorn appeared to put Anaheim back ahead with a short-handed goal at 4:11 of the third period, but the play was ruled offside and overturned following a coach’s challenge by Chicago.

“I think after we got the 3-0 lead, we didn’t do what made us successful,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “We got careless with the puck and (thought) we could do whatever we wanted to do, and that changed.

“Whatever word you want to use. Certainly disappointed. That was one that you get it out of your mind because it could haunt you.”

NOTES: Quenneville did not have an update on Mrazek. The Ducks already are without goalie Lukas Dostal, who will be out 2-3 weeks because of an upper-body injury. … Bedard recorded his fifth career four-point game. Only seven players in NHL history have more at age 20 or younger: Wayne Gretzky (40 games), Dale Hawerchuk (11), Sidney Crosby (nine), Mario Lemieux (nine), Rob Brown (seven), Jimmy Carson (seven), and Ron Francis (six). … The Blackhawks last overcame a three-goal deficit to win on March 23, 2024, a 5-4 overtime victory at the San Jose Sharks. … Chicago became the fifth team in NHL history to earn a win after falling behind 2-0 in the opening minute of a game. The others: Arizona Coyotes (Nov. 6, 2021), Boston Bruis (Feb. 27, 1988), New Jersey Devils (Dec. 19, 1986) and Edmonton Oilers (Dec. 5, 1984).