Game 22: Kings 5, Blackhawks 2

There's nothing I like better than to play spoiler.

The Hawks were on their so-called "circus trip," named for the mandatory trip west when Ringling Brothers  comes to the Windy City and sets up shop at the United Center.

According to NBCChicago.com, the Hawks last didn't post a losing record on this annual stretch was 2000-01, when they went 3-3-0. This year, the club was 3-1-1 coming into Saturday's game, and many Hawk fans were excited about the prospect of actually getting 4 wins on this difficult road trip.

Well, that didn't work out so well. The Kings came out firing, and had all the momentum in the first, until Moller's accidental high-sticking penalty turned out to be a double minor, allowing Patrick Kane to score a PP to give the Hawks the lead.

After that, Kings settled down and played their game, shutting down the opposition with good defense and taking more shots. Derek Armstrong finaly scored his first of the season, giving the Kings the lead for good in the third, and Alexander Frolov finished the game with a goal and an assist. 

The Hawks finished with a winning record on this "circus trip" for the first time since 1997, but they were thwarted by a hungier Kings club who always seems to play the Hawks well. This was the first time the Kings snatched the first game in the season series since 2005.

Don't look now, but the Kings are knocking on the door of playoff relevancy. True, the home-heavy schedule has something to do with that, but this team is finding ways to bounce back from being down early in games. PLus, Ersberg returned to form, playing soild in net behind a defense that blocked shots (Green and O'Donnell each had 4).

• AP:  Armstrong’s goal lifts Kings over Blackhawks 5-2

    “It’s definitely tough, but that’s my role here now and that’s what I’ve got to accept,” said Armstrong, whose four shots were two fewer than his total in 11 previous games this season.
    “We’ve got a great team here, so it doesn’t matter what your role is— especially when you get older. It’s all about winning games. As you get older, you appreciate winning hockey more than anything.”

• LA Times: Youth is served, but it's another win for the aged

    This was a young man's world, or a least the dressing room was, with some indications that the rebuilding project was on the right path. Yet the message that came from Saturday's 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at Staples Center was clear:
    Respect your elders

• Yahoo: Team report

    “You’ve got to play the young guys here. When I get a chance, I’ve got to go in and play as hard as I can. I appreciate every moment I get to go in and play a game in the NHL. I’ve accepted this role, and hopefully we can continue to win. That’s the most important thing.”—C Derek Armstrong, a part-time player this season in the Kings’ “youth movement.” Armstrong scored his first goal of the season.

Looking through purple-hued glasses

• A Queen Among Kings: Faceoff Killas

    Besides the fact that the Kings won the game, there is a stat that must be put in the spotlight here. The Kings dominated the Hawks in the faceoff circle. It wasn't just a beating, it was a pounding of the epic sort. Stoll won 10 faceoffs out of 14 for a percentage of 71. Anze Kopitar beat Stoll by winning 15 and losing only 5 for a 75 win percentage! The third was Derek Armstrong with a 73 win percentage by getting 8 and losing only 3.

• The Royal Half: Young Guns 1 vs. Young Guns 2

    Brian Boyle... you just lost your place in the lineup to Derek Armstrong. Kyle Calder finally found a scoring chance that even he couldn't miss. And Coach Murray showed why he is the perfect coach for this team by going with Erik Ersberg in net tonight, instead of Jason LaBarbera. Put all these things together... and you have a damn solid win by the Los Angeles Kings. Don't look now, but the Kings are 7-3-1 in the last 11 games.

• Inside Hockey: Kings escape cross-ice cross-up

    “No, I didn’t hurt my groin at any time,” Erik Ersberg said, “I was probably trying to get my legs going, to get that explosive feeling.” He said that he was watching the guy in front of the net on the first goal, and “I kind of got stuck,” but of the second, he said that “it was a tough one, but when we score five, I don’t have any trouble with letting in two.”

• Frozen Royalty: Kings Spoil Blackhawks “Circus Trip”

    The “Circus Trip” is an annual reality for the ’Hawks, who have traditionally struggled on this road swing with a 6-19-3 overall record. Their 3-2-1 mark on this edition of the excursion is the first time since 1997 that they have earned a winning record.
    “It’s disappointing the way we concluded it,” said ’Hawks coach Joel Quenneville. “We’re not happy with this ending. That was the worst we’ve been. We have to be better than that.”

From the other side of the ice: the Chicago view

• Chicago Tribune: Blackhawks fall to Kings

"We started poorly in the first 10 minutes but finished strong in the first and had the game in our hands," Patrick Sharp said. "Around the halfway point, we let them off the hook, [and] we didn't really have our best effort in the third. It's disappointing toward the end of the trip. We can make all the excuses we want, but the bottom line is we lost the game."

• Chicago Sun-Times: Hawks' trip ends with a whimper

    The first three games were played in three different time zones and the Hawks went 3-0, scoring 14 goals. The last three were played in sunny California, and the Hawks lost all three -- their longest losing streak of the season -- and scored just four times. The last game, a 5-2 drubbing Saturday by the Los Angeles Kings, was the worst of all.
    ''Ugly'' was the way Hawks general manager Dale Tallon put it. No argument there.

• Daily Herald: Road trip comes to disappointing end for Hawks

    If the Hawks took the Kings lightly, as captain Jonathan Toews suggested, that was their first mistake. The victory made the Kings 10-9-3 and left them only 3 points behind the Hawks.

• Second City Hockey: Yeah, Well, That's Disgusting...

    The Hawks put forth what can only be described as an unacceptable effort, save the last 10 minutes of the 1st, in a 5-2 setback at Staples Center to a pretty ordinary Kings bunch.  Yes, the Kings have been a surprise, but they're still hovering around .500 and that's with an overwhelming majority of home dates.  These are games you win if you're a good team.  I was afraid with the last game of the trip the bus might be running, I didn't know the Hawks would get on it--metaphorically--after the 1st.

• Hockeenight: California is a God-forsaken hell hole

    On Alexander Frolov's goal, Michael Handzus (who is so soft he once injured his jaw chewing Jello) was allowed to park in front of the crease (almost on top of Huet) untouched.  The same thing happened on Kyle Calder's goal, as he got below the defensemen, leaving him alone against Huet on a rebound chance.  In both of these instances, Seabrook and Keith were on the ice, but none of the current Blackhawk defensemen are very good in these situations.

• Ghost of Ed Litzenberger: THUD

    There isn't much to say about this crappy of a performance. The Blackhawks lost to one of the worst teams in the NHL by playing one of their worst games of the season.
    Check. Worst game of the season.

Kings-related news

• Faceoff.com: No doubt about Doughty

    Long before Tampa Bay called Steven Stamkos's name with the first pick in the June draft, the full-court hype machine was working overtime with a "Seen Stamkos?" campaign, a new Stamkos website and YouTube clips, even a testimonial from Scotty Bowman, who stopped short of saying the kid could do everything but leap tall Zambonis in a single bound.
    There was no "Seen Doughty?" marketing blitz, as I recall. But after the first two months of the season, one thing's clear: Drew Doughty, who's playing a much more sensitive position, defence, with the Los Angeles Kings, has made a bigger impact than Stamkos.

• Bleacher Report: Tending to the LA Kings Netminders

    The Kings were spoiled by having so many home games to start the year. There is a bill that will be coming due for that luxurious start. Fresh goaltenders will help negate some of the travel burden that will be coming.

Kings' dailies