Blackhawks' overtime game-planning pays off in victory against Ducks

In the Blackhawks' third overtime of the young season, they demonstrated how they learned from their mistakes in the first two.

Connor Bedard ultimately set up a goal by Ryan Donato to knock off the Joel Quenneville-coached Ducks 2-1 and give the Hawks their first overtime victory.

‘‘It’s a privilege to be in positions where you’re in close games,’’ said goalie Spencer Knight, who delivered another sparkling performance with 38 saves.

‘‘You could say, ‘We’re losing these games. We’re so close.’ But that’s what the NHL is. [When] you get to the playoffs . . . it’s 3-2, maybe 4-3 or 5-4. They’re going to be one-goal games. It’s a privilege to be in that situation. I think it’s good for us.’’

The Hawks lost in overtime Oct. 9 in Boston after Donato joined a puck battle he shouldn’t have, giving the Bruins a two-on-one rush. They then lost in a shootout Friday after the Canucks controlled puck possession throughout three-on-three play. All four of their losses have been by one goal.

Another narrow defeat Sunday could have been demoralizing, especially because the Hawks carried a 1-0 lead into the final minute of regulation before Ducks forward Mason McTavish scored the equalizer. But they didn’t let that disappointment happen.

‘‘We’ve had tough moments where we’ve gotten knocked down a little bit,’’ head coach Jeff Blashill said. ‘‘We continue to get back up. And that’s a huge part of this life, man. It’s going to happen.’’

Blashill said he talked with the team before the morning skate about several keys to overtime success: valuing possession, being smart about shot selection and executing timely line changes. The Hawks followed those keys to earn a victory less than 12 hours later.

Bedard’s difference

Bedard has been dominant offensively during the last two games, racking up nine shots on goal Sunday after taking seven shots Friday.

He’s winning a lot of puck battles, too. That’s how he set up Donato’s winner Sunday after initially being denied off the rush by Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal, who slid out of his crease to do so.

‘‘There’s 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. ‘‘He’s buying into that. It’s not like he hasn’t before, but we can really see the difference with him.’’

Rolling ’Hogs

The Hawks’ prospects in Rockford have started the AHL season in style, with the IceHogs winning four of their first five games, including three in overtime. They finally suffered their first loss Sunday, falling 6-5 to the Wolves.

Top forward prospects Oliver Moore (four goals, two assists) and Nick Lardis (two goals, six assists) have been electric, fueling optimism that one or both could follow a Frank Nazar-like trajectory this season. In goal, Drew Commesso has a .903 save percentage after three starts.