LA Kings defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 for perhaps their biggest win of the season- January 2015
The Chicago Blackhawks came to the Staples Center to play the LA Kings as the second half of the season unfolds after the all-star break. The Kings are currently in 9th place in the Western Conference and have been struggling as of late. One day earlier, they even put under-achieving forward Mike Richards on waivers with his decrease in productivitiy. He has been sent to the minors as nobody picked him up with his big salary while freeing up some cap space for the team. Players are rallying as he has been a big part of the team the last few years. This matchup was between the last 3 Stanley Cup winners and featured a lot of talent and high expectations. This is their second meeting of the year as the Blackhawks won the first game at Staples in November. They were aiming for more revenge after losing game 7 of the westen conference finals last year in the playoffs when Alec Martinez scored the game winning goal in overtime.
The Kings need to re-energize and get some needed scoring from some of their talented forwards. Coach Darryl Sutter has not panicked and is trying to adjust different lines while dealing with a rash of injuries and other team related issues including losing Slava Voynov while his ongoing domestic violence case is still going on. The Kings will also be without young winger Tanner Pearson for about 3 months due to his broken leg
The Blackhawks are led by Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Duncan Keith to name a few. Head coach Joel Quennville has the team playing some great hockey and they are always dangerous as they are loaded with talent (Brandon Saad- second on the team with 15 goals, veteran Marian Hossa, Andrew Shaw, Brad Richards, Brian Bickell, Brent Seabrook and of course Corey Crawford in goal as the core of excellent depth they have.
The Kings got themselves in trouble in the first period as Drew Doughty took 2 minor penalties and Dustin Brown had one. Kane started the scoring making 1-0 for his 23rd of the season as the puck came to him standing alone next to Quick. Jeff Carter scored his 13th as he got the puck near the back of the net, came out in front and beat Corey Crawford with a laser shot. Patrick Sharp scored on the power play taking a pass from Kane and beat Quick with a wrist shot for his 10th of the season. It could have been a lot worse as Chicago outshot the Kings 13-10 but had some good chances. Brown got a high-sticking penalty in the second period but the Kings killed off that power play before Carter came down the right wing making a nice move and wristing a shot past Crawford to make it 2-2 and that is where it ended after the second period in this fierce playoff-type game.
The third period ws intense and exciting. Andrew Shaw gave Chicago the lead again with a shot past Quick as he flew down the right side early in the period. However, the Kings would not give up as that is their attitude. Tyler Tiffoli received a great back pass from Dwight King in the perfect spot for a point blank shot that Crawford had no chance at to tie it up 3-3. It looked like the game was heading for overtime but the Kings fought deeper keeping the puck in the Blackhawks zone before Jake Muzzin threw a shot towards the crowded net and it went in for the game winner. It seemed like Dustin Brown tipped it in. He didn’t get credit for the goal but he played a big part screening Crawford and the Kings came away with a huge win vs. a great team. There were no penalties in the third period with back and forth play and quite a few good chances for both teams. The sell out crowd got their money’s worth and more as Jeff Carter earned the number one star with 2 goals and an assist in what was probably the best game of the year for the team and fans. More at www.lakings.com
KINGS HEAD COACH DARRYL SUTTER:
(RE: WHAT IT MEANS TO BEAT THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS):
“It was a good effort. We have to beat somebody to make the playoffs.”
(RE: IF TEAM BUILDS ON FIVE-GAME OR TEN-GAME SEGMENTS):
“We’re just trying to make the playoffs; it’s a good thing to say because that’s what we’re trying to do. It’s what we try to do every year. Everybody gets way too far ahead of themselves. You win a game, you lose a game; we’re trying to make the playoffs. If you make the playoffs you have a chance to do something.”
KINGS FORWARD TYLER TOFFOLI:
(RE: WIN):
“It was huge. It was the last game at home for a while, and playing against a really good team like Chicago, I think we played really well tonight.”
“We know our group of guys, we’ve been saying all year; tonight was a night that we wanted to prove to ourselves that we could win big games and we did it tonight. One game at a time, and we got 34 left.”
(RE: FIRST GAME BACK):
“I was a little rusty at times, a little tired towards the end of shifts, but I think it was expected. I thought I was going to feel like that. I’m glad we got the win, it was a huge game for us”
KINGS FORWARD JEFF CARTER:
(RE: BLACKHAWKS):
“Every time you play them it’s an intense, exciting game. If you can’t get up to play a game like this, as a player, there’s something wrong with you. We enjoy it, a big battle for us tonight. Hopefully we can keep it going.”
“End of the day, no matter who you beat, it’s two points. It’s really what we’re looking for these days. Obviously they’re a top team and they have been for a long time, hopefully it’s a big confidence boost for us, after having some ups and downs, hopefully we can build off it and keep it going.”
(RE: FIRST PERIOD PENALTIES):
“It’s a tough way to start a game with that many penalties. It takes a lot of guys out of the game. Once we got back to the five-on-five we got it going a little more. You start rolling the lines and getting everybody involved, and when we’re rolling four lines and playing like that, that’s where we are effective.”
BLACKHAWKS HEAD COACH JOEL QUENNEVILLE:
(RE: GAME RECAP):
“We finished with a perfect third period going, but we didn’t get the puck out when we clearly should have. They got the momentum back on that play and scored right off the faceoff. It was definitely a tough loss.”
(RE: KINGS’ STYLE OF PLAY):
“It seems like every time we play them, the type of game that’s out there is hard, fast, quick, and things happen. We just had to get through a couple of plays there and we can’t give up those types of goals.”
(RE: WASTED POWER PLAYS):
“I thought it was a good first power play and the second one we had a decent look as well. We didn’t really get zone time, and that was where we slowed down and lost a little momentum.”
BLACKHAWKS FORWARD JONATHAN TOEWS:
(RE: GAME RECAP):
“We played 55 solid minutes of hockey. I think our line is obviously looking at ourselves after that one. All three of us could’ve been a little more intelligent in our zone, getting the puck out, and not giving them those chances to score late in the game.”
(RE: FIRST GAME AFTER ALL-STAR BREAK):
Not in a game like this. Guys showed up and they were prepared and ready. We knew it was going to be a tough game. We hung in there. It was looking pretty good for us with that 3-2 lead late in the third. We just found a way to blow it.”
BLACKHAWKS FORWARD PATRICK KANE:
(RE: GAME RECAP):
“We were up 3-2 early in the third. It would’ve been nice to capitalize when they were pinching. Maybe get some odd-man rushes and push the pace a little bit. I think we might have sat back a little bit and waited for them to come to us. Usually when we do that, bad things happen.”
(RE: SPECIAL TEAMS):
“You obviously want to score on every power-play. I thought we were moving around pretty well. I had some chances. I scored a nice goal to give us the lead there. After that I think we had a couple of calls that could’ve been made. I think they were playing catch up after we got a few power-plays.”
KINGS NOTES:
With tonight’s win, the Kings now have 38 points this season at home this season (16-6-6) tying the most points through 28 home games in franchise history (also, 1980-81 and 1990-91).
Tonight marks the first time since Oct. 30, 2013 (4-3 OTW vs. SJS) that the Kings have won a game in which they overcame three separate deficits in a single game. (Courtesy ESB)
Jeff Carter (2-1=3) has scored goals in each of the last two games (3-1=4). Tonight marks his 10th multi-points game of the season (second multi-goal game and third game of at least three points). The Kings are 10-0-0 this season when Carter records a multi-point effort.
Tyler Toffoli (1-1=2) tallied his seventh multi-point game of the year in his first game back after missing six games with mononucleosis. He has registered an assist in each of the last two games he has played (1-2=3).
Anze Kopitar (0-2=2) has recorded an assist in each of the last two games (0-4=4) and has 26 points (5-21=26) in the last 17 games (has recorded a point in 13 of the last 17 games).
Jake Muzzin (1-0=1) scored his third GWG of the season (tied for the team lead and tied for fifth among league defensemen).
Marian Gaborik (0-1=1) has an assist in each of the last two games (0-2=2) and has points in 14 of his last 17 games (11-8=19)
Brayden McNabb (0-1=1) tallied his 13th assist of the season, moving him into third place among Kings defensemen in assists.
Jonathan Quick stopped 26-of-29 shots to win his 17th game of the season.
Tonight’s attendance was 18,525, a sellout including standing room only (largest crowd at STAPLES this season, previously 18,514 on opening night). This marks the 118th consecutive regular season sellout and the 148th consecutive sellout overall (both team records).
Post-Game Quotes Compiled By Kings PR Staff
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