The Blackhawks earned it — the game and the expected-goals battle both.
Chicago's 5–3 victory over Anaheim featured the underlying metrics leaning only slightly their way—expected goals 3.85–3.23—yet the Blackhawks scored 1.15 goals beyond expectation, transforming a marginal edge into decisive advantage.
The shot battle tilted to Chicago: just 41% of attempts but 54% of expected goals, signaling superior shot quality. High-danger chances went 6–4 in Chicago's favor. More tellingly, Chicago converted at 50% in the high-danger zone (3 of 6) and punished the rush at devastating efficiency—3 goals on 30 rush attempts.
Anaheim generated quality looks that the shot total masked: 0.055 xG per shot to Chicago's 0.082. T. Terry set up two chances despite Anaheim's inability to convert. The Ducks were lethal in their own right off the rush, scoring twice on 22 attempts. They crashed the net effectively, creating four rebound opportunities, though none found the back of the net.
The Blackhawks' power play was clinical: 2 goals on 8 shots, accumulating 0.94 expected goals in the man-advantage. S. Knight (23–26, 0.885 SV%) kept Anaheim at bay when it mattered. P. Mrazek (13–16, 0.812 SV%) performed above expectation at +0.62 goals, but it wasn't enough to overcome Chicago's finishing prowess and net-front dominance.
C. Bedard led the way with 2 goals and 2 assists in 20:14, capitalizing on his high-danger opportunities. C. Gauthier (1G, 1A in 18:33) kept Anaheim dangerous to the end.