Game 18: Blackhawks 4, Kings 1

The loss to the Predators was generally attributed to lack of preparation. Monday's loss to Chicago should be attributed to playing a better team.

The ChiHawks play a stingy game, leading the league in least shots against and tops in the West in goals against. Like the Kings, they roll multiple lines that can put the puck in the net. And last night, the Hawks got back captain Jonathon Toews from injury, which no doubtedly boosted their squad. It boosted attendance, that's for sure. According to the box score, the United Center was packed to the gills. part of it might have been to see Anze Kopitar, Ryan Smyth and the Kings. But I'm pretty sure most of them were there to see their captain return to the ice.

Difference in the game? Special teams. The Kings gave up two power play goals in the third, and were held to two (2) shots in the third. They ran out of steam, and the Blackhawks took advantage. Two shots in a period is a season low for the Kings, and they are slowly sinking in the SOG category.

I could wax moronic about why the team lost, but I'd rather rant about the decision to schedule a game on the same day that the greatest King in the history of Los Angeles is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. It was the only game scheduled, and even though it was a national game, unless you belong to the People's Republic of Versus, you probably didn't see it (legally).

That's two games that the general public of SoCal couldn't see the reigning points leader of the NHL. Get used to it, because Friday's game against the Thrashers won't be on TV (or the Interwebz) either.

• AP: Healthy Toews leads Blackhawks past Kings

    “I’ve always said the power play can win you a game and penalty killing can lose you a game. And tonight, it lost us a game,” Kings coach Terry Murray said. “(The Blackhawks) brought their work boots. They got a couple-goal lead and played prevent (defense).”

• Yahoo: Team report

    Third periods have been a strongpoint for the Kings of late, but not against the Blackhawks. After two fairly even periods, the teams went into the third period tied 1-1, but Rob Scuderi's interference penalty in the final five seconds of the second period came back to haunt the Kings. Chicago scored 93 seconds into the third period, then twice more in the next 10 minutes to put the game away.

• Chicago Tribune: Chicago Blackhawks beat Los Angeles Kings 4-1

    "Our first goal was to beat L.A. here, and another goal was to get our power play going, and we did," said Troy Brouwer, who had a goal and two assists.

• Chicago Sun-Times: A triumphant return

    It was Huet's first career win over the Kings. He had lost two starts and had a 4.03 goals-against average against them before stopping 17 of 18 shots Monday.

They said it

“They’re a good team. A top team in the conference and you can see why. I thought we played a very good game tonight, across the board. We checked well and the lines were contributing and there weren’t any power plays until the third period so it was a pretty tight game and it was good to get those power-play goals.” – Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville, on the Kings

Around the Kingdom

• LAKingsNews.com: Blackhawks mount a big third period, defeat Kings

    The first line looked good but it was clear that Chicago came into this game with the mindset that if they can shut down that line, they can shut down the Kings and, tonight, it worked because despite a good effort from Dustin Brown and Jarett Stoll, the Kings could not get any secondary scoring.

• Crushed Purple Velvet: Live blog of Kings v. Hawks...on Versus!?

    Where did the Kings go?  They have completely disappeared after their pitiful power play attempt.  They're lucky it isn't 5-1 or even worse.  And now Chicago goes back on the power play to increase their lead.  Great.  Not exactly the showing I was hoping the Kings would have on a "national" broadcast.

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From across the aisle, the Chicago view

• The Fifth Feather: Blackhawks 4, Kings 1

    The best part, though, was the way the Hawks smelled blood in the water and suffocated the Kings for the remainder of the game after taking the lead.  The Kings mustered a measly 2 shots on net in the third while the Hawks put up 10 and spent the majority of the time in L.A.’s end of the ice.

• Second City Hockey: Return of the King - Hawks 4, Kings 1

    ....and I don't mean Raitis Ivanans.

• HockeeNight: Artful Dodgers

    Defensive zone turnovers. They gave LA an awful lot of chances they shouldn't have had, and only Huet bailed out his DMen.

• Blackhawk Up: Aye aye, Captain: Toews scores in 4-1 ‘Hawks win

    Anze Kopitar left his mark with his NHL-leading 14th goal of the season off a rebound he merely dragged into the net. Other than that, Los Angeles might as well have been the Washington Generals.

• Blackhawks Confidential: Toews' head and heart are winning combo again for Blackhawks

    Toews copies Walter Payton's body language. That tells you the rose-strewn path he is traveling into Chicago history. Just like Payton, Toews exudes ease of effort in everything he does, as well as exuberance, discipline, steely grit and a merry twinkle in the eye that promises innocent mischief when the time is right.

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