ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Chicago Blackhawks made a seismic move before the start of the road finale against the Anaheim Ducks Saturday, trading top defenseman Seth Jones to Florida, but it didn’t appear to rattle the players.
Five Hawks scored in a 6-3 win at Honda Center.
Lukas Reichel, who sparked the last push with a third-period goal, said the Hawks remained poised after the Jones trade and credited interim head coach Anders Sorensen.
“It’s like business and whoever plays, we try to play their game,” he said. “That’s what we tried to do, and that’s what Anders said before the game, too: We’ve got to stay focused and focus on the game, and that’s what we did.”
After a scoreless first period, the Hawks swapped goals in a frenetic second period.
Wyatt Kaiser just drew into the lineup after his recall from Rockford, and he celebrated the occasion with the opening goal in the second period. Pat Maroon scored on the power play — for his first shorthanded tally since the 2021-22 season with Tampa Bay — and Teuvo Teräväinen pushed the lead to 3-1.
The Hawks had some hiccups holding onto leads – but that has been true with or without Jones.
Ducks center Leo Carlsson, drafted one slot after No. 1 pick Connor Bedard in 2023, scored first for Anaheim – just 45 seconds after Kaiser’s opening goal.
Jackson LaCombe scored 1 minute, 25 seconds after Teräväinen’s goal to pull the Ducks within a goal.
But in the third, Reichel broke out on a counter rush to score first goal since Feb. 5 against the Edmonton Oilers.
“That Reichel goal was really big for the game,” Sorensen said. The Hawks had just killed off a penalty while clinging to a 3-2 lead, and “then to get that fourth goal was huge.”
Ryan Donato scored the next two goals, pushing his team-high total to 21 goals. He crossed the 20-goal threshold for the first time in his career.
“He’s been good here for a while,” Sorensen said of Donato. “No matter where we put him, if it’s on the wing or in the middle, he plays his game, and he’s around the puck, and he creates a lot.
“I’m really happy with his game.”
Carlsson added a second goal with 2:44 left, but the outcome was a fait accompli: the Hawks broke a five-game losing streak, a desperately needed first win since the break.
“Just finding that consistency to do it over again,” Sorensen said. “Traveling tomorrow, and let’s get back at it at home here. We’ve got a three-game homestand, so we want to show that (we can) play the same way at home here.”
Here are four takeaways from the win.
1. How did the Hawks react to the Jones trade?
For the players who were available to speak postgame, they greeted the news with mixed feelings.
“Obviously it’s disappointing,” defenseman Alec Martinez said. “I’ve come to get to know him. Really good guy. You obviously wish him the best. That’s the nature of the business with the (trade) deadline coming up, things like that happen.
Martinez added that he’d like to welcome goalie Spencer Knight, who was acquired from Florida along with a conditional 2026 first-round pick.
Reichel said Jones was someone he could lean on for support.
“It’s tough because since I’m here, he was always here and helped me out,” he said. “He was a good leader for me. Whatever I had, I can tell him and ask him questions.
“It’s definitely hard. But he’s going to a good team, and I think that’s what he wants. I hope he does well there.”
Sorensen echoed the players’ sentiments.
“It’s a business, right? We have to deal with it,” he said. “I thought Brodie came in and did a good job. You know, it’s not easy, these situations. Seth is a pro, great guy in the locker room. So we wish him the best.”
2. How did the Hawks adjust without Jones?
Other defensemen stepped up, especially the young ones.
- Alex Vlasic handled the most minutes (23:53), usually Jones’ job, and served as the top power-play unit’s quarterback, assisting on Donato’s power-play goal.
- Veterans Martinez (2) and T.J. Brodie (1) had assists. Brodie had been a scratch before Jones’ trade.
- Kaiser broke a scoreless tie with his goal and finished plus-1.
- Ethan Del Mastro played a career-high 19 minutes, 56 seconds and blocked two shots.
Sorensen said he “really liked Kaiser’s game coming back from Rockford. He looked really poised out there, made some plays. Not just on goal, but I thought his D-zone exits were really good and really clean.”
“Delly, I really like his poise,” Sorensen added. “He wants to make the play when the puck’s on his stick really good. And Vlas, a better game for him.”
Martinez singled out Kaiser and Del Mastro for adjusting well to last-minute circumstances.
“I’ve seen both of them for quite a few games here now, and really good young players,” he said. “You can tell they’re obviously very skilled, very smart. They can move the puck.
“No surprise that they stepped in, played a big role, played really well and contributed big-time to the win.”
3. Reichel needs to ‘play a little pissed off’ all the time.
He really showed off his speed on his third-period goal.
Martinez knocked back a Ducks pass to start a rush with Reichel and Craig Smith. Reichel got out ahead and Smith sent the puck up to him, and Reichel froze Ducks goalie John Gibson on his far-side goal.
“Good play by Marty in the D-zone,” Reichel said. “We were three guys running at the net there and someone chased us, so I was the fastest guy and I had the breakaway and I buried it.”
His two points were the cherry on top of his return to the lineup after not dressing for two games.
“It felt good to be back,” he said. “It’s not always easy if you got scratched — first game back, timing is a little off. But I tried to make the best of it and stay positive and play a little pissed off.”
It’s not the first time this season, or even in recent years, that Reichel has had a comeback moment after watching previous games in street clothes.
The question will be how long can he maintain this level – stay “pissed off” and stay in the lineup? He’s clearly capable but falls prey to lapses.
4. Martinez wanted no part of Jones’ parting words.
Jones will forever be remembered in Chicago for his damning critique of the Hawks’ rebuild after a 2-1 loss in Utah.
“We’re the exact same team right now as we were Game 1” of the season, said Jones on Tuesday. “It’s pretty evident out there. We haven’t made any strides to be a better, more simple hockey team, and it shows. We don’t get a lot of wins because of that.”
When asked how that resonated in the locker room, Martinez at first said he wouldn’t comment.
“He said how he felt,” he said. “I think there’s probably a lot of frustration built up over time. I can’t really speak to that; I haven’t been here as long as he has.
“I’m not going to make a comment on someone else’s comments. You’ll have to ask him about that.”
The Hawks have already played their season series against the Panthers, so they won’t get a chance to face Jones this season.
Perhaps if they see him next season, they’ll chalk up his words to “frustration” — or perhaps it was some gamesmanship to spur general manager Kyle Davidson to trade him sooner rather than later.
As Davidson had to admit on CHSN: It worked Saturday.
