Blackhawks look strong on road, defeat Kings 5
BY MARK POTASH Staff Reporter
LOS ANGELES - The Blackhawks haven't been themselves lately. But while they've lost momentum, they haven't lost their touch. When they want it, they can still get it.
Coming in with just one victory in their previous six games, the Blackhawks were determined to start fast against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.
''We've got to find our legs early, use our speed,'' forward Patrick Sharp said after the team's morning skate. ''It's a key to our team when all five guys on the ice are skating together.''
And they did just that. Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell scored first period goals, Marcus Kruger scored a tie-breaking goal late in the second period and Nick Leddy and Kane added third-period goals as the Blackhawks beat the Kings 5-3 at Staples Center.
It was an emotional night for Kane, whose grandfather, Donald Kane, died in Buffalo on Monday. Patrick Kane pointed to the sky after his first goal, an apparent tribute to his grandfather. ''Love ya, Gramps,'' Kane said during his interview with Eddie Olczyk after the first period.
Kane had three points on the night - two goals and an assist. Leddy (goal, assist), Toews (two assists), Sharp (two assists) also scored multiple points.
With the victory, the Hawks (34-10-14) improved to 2-0-2 on their six-game ''ice show'' road trip.
The Hawks got off to a fast start after Kings defenseman Drew Doughty was called for charging when he leveled Sharp just 24 seconds into the game.
Kane made the Kings pay with a power play goal from close in to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead just 62 seconds into the game. Toews and Sharp assisted on the goal.
The Blackhawks continued to put the pressure on the Kings even without the man advantage and controlled most of the play in the first period. Bryan Bickell gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead at 8:44 when he took a picture-perfect feed from Patrick Kane on a three-on-one and easily beat Jonathan Quick from the right side.
But 17 seconds after assisting on Bickell's goal, Shaw went to the penalty box for roughing and the Kings took advantage. Doughty elevated a one-timer from the point that beat Corey Crawford for a power-play goal that cut the Blackhawks' lead to 2-1 at 9:52 of the first period.
The Blackhawks outshot the Kings 12-5 in the first period and dominated play. But the Kings turned it around in the second period, outshooting the Hawks 11-2 in the first 10 minutes.
The Kings had the momentum and a power play opportunity when Hawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson was called for hooking Jeff Carter to stifle a mini-breakaway with 15:37 left in the period. The Hawks killed that penalty, but seven seconds after Hjalmarsson was out of the box, the Kings tied the game 2-2 when Anze Kopitar scored from in close off a pass from Carter.
The Kings continued to gain the upper hand and had a couple of golden opportunities to take the lead. But Crawford got stronger as the pressure mounted.
Kruger gave the Hawks a 3-2 lead when he re-directed Leddy's shot from the point past Quick with 6:09 left in the second period.
After a mostly entertaining first two periods, a sluggish third period ensued until the Hawks went on the power play when Matt Greene was called for interference with 15:07 left in the third period. The Hawks missed a couple of scoring opportunities before defenseman Nick Leddy scored on a slap shot to give the Blackhawks a 4-2 lead.
Kane scored from in close off a pass from Sharp to give the Hawks a 5-2 lead. Tyler Toffoli scored moments later to make it 5-3.
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