The Los Angeles Kings (13-8-7) got their revenge after a 2-1 loss two days ago, throttling the Chicago Blackhawks (12-10-6) 6-0 at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday to split the quick two-game series. It was just the second time the Blackhawks have been shut out this season, as Darcy Kuemper stopped all 23 shots faced in goal for Los Angeles.
Following a formidable start to Saturday’s game, the Blackhawks were far from their best in the final two periods. The Kings opened the scoring early in the second stanza and never looked back, rattling off six unanswered goals in dominant fashion. The home squad led 25-12 in shots on goal and 21-6 in scoring chances in the last 40 minutes of the contest.
“We outplayed them in the first period, and then it went completely opposite,” veteran defenseman Connor Murphy said. “It’s unfortunate that we let it get to that point. When momentum goes the other way, you want to try to turn it quicker so it doesn’t end up being a game like that.”
It was one of the few forgettable performances by the Blackhawks this year, as they had only lost by more than two goals twice coming into the game. Connor Bedard had a rare off-night, with a minus-two rating and just two shots on goal in over 22 minutes of ice time. Tyler Bertuzzi had an uncharacteristically poor showing, with a few bad giveaways while being on the ice for two goals against. Both Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov also suffered some rookie lapses and struggled in the defensive zone.
Of the 18 skaters who dressed for Chicago, 15 were on the ice for at least one of the Kings’ six goals. While it took a complete team effort 48 hours earlier to get a win, the entire squad was lackluster in the lopsided loss.
There’s not much time for the Blackhawks to dwell on this ugly defeat, however, as they return to action tomorrow against the Anaheim Ducks in the back end of a back-to-back. Blashill’s group has bested the Ducks twice already this season, and a third victory on Sunday would make it a winning road trip.
“We’re going to have a meeting, learn from this one, and go try to win a hockey game tomorrow,” Blashill said.
Here are the highlights and a recap from the lousy 6-0 loss, dropping the Blackhawks’ record to 12-10-6 through 28 games.
FIRST PERIOD
Just like Thursday, neither team scored in the opening 20 minutes. There weren’t too many threatening opportunities for either side, with just 14 scoring chances and five high-danger chances combined in the opening 20 minutes. It was a fairly uneventful start to the game.
One of the best chances for the Blackhawks came from Ryan Donato on a 2-on-1, with big defenseman Louis Crevier showing off his wheels by jumping up on the rush. Look at the 6-foot-8 blue-liner race up the ice! But Darcy Kuemper was up to the test, sticking out his left pad to rob Donato.
Another great look stemmed from an excellent sequence by Artyom Levshunov, who was promoted to the top defensive pairing with Alex Vlasic for the first time this season. Levshunov dodged two Kings’ checkers, made a feed to Bedard in the neutral zone, and then rifled a puck off Kuemper’s blocker after jumping up into the play. That was another one of those moments that leaves Blackhawks fans so excited about Levshunov’s future.
In the final half of the period, the Blackhawks received the game’s first power play after Warren Foegele was called for hooking. The man advantage cashed in on it’s first chance on Thursday, but they were unable to do so this time. The Kings held the visitors to no shots on goal during the power play.
The two teams remained scoreless heading into the first intermission, but the Blackhawks were the better group out of the gates once again. They led 11-7 in shots on goal and 9-5 in scoring chances in the period. Chicago has still allowed only 16 goals in the first period this season, the lowest in the entire league.
SECOND PERIOD
However, the Kings quickly snatched the momentum early in the middle frame, as Warren Foegele rifled a one-timer past Spencer Knight to make it 1-0 less than two minutes in. Bertuzzi and Oliver Moore both appeared unsure of who would play the puck along the wall in the defensive zone, leading to a turnover.
Near the midway point of the game, Drew Doughty was whistled for hooking Bedard out in front of the Kings’ net. The Blackhawks’ power play hit the ice for the second time in the game, but the top unit again wasn’t able to get much going. Los Angeles ended up generating the best chance while shorthanded, with a 2-on-0 rush off a brutal giveaway by Bertuzzi. Fortunately, Spencer Knight bailed him out with a massive glove stop.
Just after Doughty’s penalty expired, the Kings committed another infraction when Joel Armia tripped Andre Burakovsky. But yet again, the Hawks’ power play had a dreadful showing, as they didn’t ever get set up in the offensive zone. Two wasted opportunities to tie up the score.
Less than five minutes later, it was the Kings’ turn to head to the power play. It only took eight seconds to double their lead, as Andrei Kuzmenko’s shot popped up and over Knight. 2-0 Los Angeles.
The Blackhawks were on their heels in the final minutes of the period, and the Kings added to the lead with just 52.5 seconds remaining. Brandt Clarke fired a shot past Knight, who had no chance to see the puck as Corey Perry provided a perfect screen. Chicago went into the second intermission trailing 3-0.
It was a pretty lousy second stanza for the Blackhawks to land in a tough spot with 20 minutes to go. The Kings led 12-5 in shots on goal, 12-4 in scoring chances, 7-1 in high-danger chances, and 3-0 in goals during the period.
THIRD PERIOD
Los Angeles kept their foot on the pedal in the final frame and turned this into a blowout. Brandt Clarke made it a 4-0 game with his second goal of the night off a nifty passing play in transition.
Things started to completely unravel for Chicago, as Mikey Anderson housed a wrist shot just moments later to make it 5-0. The Kings struggled to get the puck past Knight on Thursday, but that was no issue in this one.
The scoring didn’t stop there, though. Los Angeles put a touchdown on the board off a drive to the net by Illinois native Alex Turcotte. This wasn’t Rinzel’s finest defensive moment, getting bodied by the smaller Turcotte in a 1-on-1 battle. It was another loose defensive night from Rinzel, who was minus-two in just 12:40 of ice time.
There wasn’t much of a pushback whatsoever from the Blackhawks in the third period, as they finished with only seven shots on goal and 23 total on the night. The Kings were in control until the final horn sounded to help Kuemper earn his second shutout of the year.
The road trip wraps up for the Hawks on Sunday in Anaheim, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT at the Honda Center. Arvid Soderblom is expected to start in net, while Teuvo Teravainen could potentially rejoin the lineup after missing Saturday’s game with a facial injury.
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