LOS ANGELES: The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, with Patrick Kane back to his best, staved off play-off elimination for a second straight game by beating the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 at Staples Center yesterday.
Two goals in the second period, followed by two more late in the third, made the difference in a Game Six of electrifying pace, dramatic lead changes and high energy as Chicago tied the best-of-seven Western Conference finals series at 3-3.
Trailing 0-1 after the first period, the Blackhawks scored twice in quick succession in the second through right wings Kane and Ben Smith, then rallied from 2-3 down in the third as defenseman Duncan Keith and Kane, again, struck with wrist shot.
“This team just sticks to it, it’s an unbelievable group of guys,” the enigmatic Kane, who had just a single point after the first four games of the series before regaining his customary form, told NBC television.
“For some reason when the chips are down, it seems like we’ve got a lot of guys that step up. Huge team effort tonight.”
Kane, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner last season as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup playoffs, was delighted by his team’s efforts in coming back from a 2-3 deficit with less than nine minutes remaining in the third period.
“It was disappointing, especially when we feel we could have prevented that second goal and then you take the penalty to make it 3-2,” he said.
“I was out on the ice for two of the goals before that and felt I had to do something to get it back. Luckily I was able to do that.”
Kings captain Dustin Brown was bitterly disappointed after his team surrendered two late goals, goaltender Jonathan Quick ending the night with 21 saves on 25 shots in a match-up between the past two Stanley Cup champions.
“I don’t think we can expect to give up four goals in one game,” said forward Brown. “It’s been our problem the last two games, giving up too many goals.
“That’s the result of making mistakes in the neutral zone and mistakes on coverage. If we clean that up, we’re good.”
Watched by a sellout crowd of 18,500, the game began at a lightning-fast pace with the Blackhawks initially posing more of an offensive threat but it was the Kings who opened the scoring with just under three minutes left in the first period.
Left wing Dwight King, on an assist from Jarret Stoll who retrieved a loose puck from the corner, rifled a shot past Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford to put the Kings ahead 1-0.
Chicago, who beat LA5-4 in double overtime on Wednesday to fend off play-off elimination, then responded with a flurry of two goals within two minutes in the second period.
Kane scored with a wrist shot at 1.12 before Smith followed up 97 seconds later after banking the puck into the net off the back of goaltender Quick’s foot. REUTERS
