Kings edge Blackhawks to take 2-1 series lead
5/25/2014LOS ANGELES — Jeff Carter had a goal and two assists, Tyler Toffoli scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period, and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 on Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.
Drew Doughty had a third-period goal and an assist, and Jonathan Quick made 24 saves as the Kings returned to Staples Center with an impressive two-way effort against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Captain Jonathan Toews scored twice in the first period for the Blackhawks, but they didn’t score again until Patrick Sharp’s goal with 5 seconds left.
Corey Crawford stopped 28 shots for the Blackhawks, who have lost the first road game in 10 consecutive playoff series since 2010.
Slava Voynov scored an early power-play goal as the Kings moved halfway to their second Stanley Cup final in three years.
Three days after the Kings evened the series by scoring six consecutive goals in the final 22 minutes of Game 2, Los Angeles didn’t relax and rely on its defense.
Los Angeles got another monster game from the line led by Carter, the imposing goal-scorer who had four points in the third period of Game 2. In a 6:11 span of the second period of Game 3, Carter scored the tying goal off Tanner Pearson’s pass before setting up the go-ahead score by Toffoli.
After Toews stressed the importance of playing with some anger in Game 3, he produced his first multigoal performance in 63 playoff games since May 7, 2010, when he had a hat trick against Vancouver.
The Blackhawks beat Los Angeles in five games in the conference finals last season, but the rematch hasn’t been nearly as smooth for Chicago. Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell haven’t scored a goal in the conference finals, while Sharp’s last-gasp goal was his first of the series.
Toews put Chicago ahead just 5:26 into Game 3, stealing the puck from Justin Williams and beating Quick between the legs.
Just 50 seconds later, Voynov skated into the slot and beat Crawford with a slap shot.
Toews connected again later in the period on a rebound of Michal Rozsival’s shot after a prolonged period of puck possession.
After surviving a long period of Chicago pressure, the Kings evened it in the second period when Pearson corralled a puck that hit a referee behind the net and fed it to Carter in front for his eighth goal.
Carter then chipped the puck ahead to Toffoli shortly after a Chicago power play ended. Toffoli broke in on Crawford, who lifted his left pad for only an instant — right when Toffoli pushed the puck under him.
The Kings kept up the pressure in the third period, and Doughty scored just his second goal of the postseason shortly after a power play expired in the third period.