LOS ANGELES (AP) -- When Bryan Bickell's
shot slipped out of Jonathan Quick's usually inescapable glove and
trickled into the Los Angeles net early, the Chicago Blackhawks figured
Game 4 might be their chance to snap the Kings' daunting streak of home
dominance.
When Marian Hossa's shot eluded Quick
for the go-ahead goal two periods later, the Blackhawks knew they had
cracked their foe's star goalie and the formula for winning at Staples
Center.
The Kings are teetering in the Western
Conference finals -- and Chicago needs just one more win to topple the
defending Stanley Cup champions.
Hossa scored the tiebreaking goal early
in the third period, and the Blackhawks moved to the brink of the
Stanley Cup finals with a 3-2 victory Thursday night, ending Los
Angeles' 15-game winning streak at home.
"They were playing so well at home, and
to finally break that streak, we're happy about it," Hossa said. "We
knew about it. We talked about it before the game. We were hoping to
break it, and we got it."
Corey Crawford made 19 saves, and
Patrick Kane tapped in the tying goal as Chicago rallied from a
second-period deficit to beat the Kings. Los Angeles hadn't lost in its
rink since March 23, including eight playoff games. Bickell had a goal
and an assist for the top-seeded Blackhawks, who took a 3-1 series lead
even without suspended defenseman Duncan Keith.
After losing Game 3 in listless
fashion, the Blackhawks had a solution to every dilemma, from the Kings'
two early leads to the absence of Chicago's ice-time leader and top
defenseman.
"We knew our defense was going to step
up, and they did," Bickell said. "We had a good feeling coming in. We
had a bitter taste from the last game. They had a big start, but we
stuck with it and eventually got it back."
Game 5 is Saturday night in Chicago.
Slava Voynov and Dustin Penner scored
for the Kings, who had the NHL's longest home postseason winning run
since 2009. The champs know they are in trouble after failing to hold on
to a late lead in front of their Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goalie.
"It's an incredibly skilled team,"
Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi said of Chicago. "We're not getting into
something we didn't know. When you turn the puck over like that at the
blue lines, with the skill they have, it's only a matter of time before
they put one on the scoreboard. Hopefully we learned our lesson, and
we've got to win the next one."
The Blackhawks thrived without Keith,
who served a one-game suspension for high-sticking Jeff Carter in the
face during the second period of Game 3. Sheldon Brookbank filled in
while Chicago played strong team defense in front of Crawford, allowing
just two shots by the desperate Kings in the third period.
"Right from the first couple shifts, we
were moving our feet, playing with speed," said defenseman Brent
Seabrook, who led Chicago with 26:20 of ice time. "We were getting in on
the forecheck and making good plays. It was big for our group to come
back with a good effort."
Los Angeles hadn't lost a playoff game
at home since Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals last season, winning nine
straight overall. The Kings also had been outstanding when playing with
a lead in front of Quick, who stopped 25 shots, but Los Angeles
uncharacteristically surrendered that 2-1 lead late in the second
period.
The high-scoring Kane ending his
seven-game goal drought in a quiet postseason by charging into the
crease to tap home the tying goal on a rebound of Niklas Hjalmarsson's
shot and Bickell's deflection late in the second period. Hjalmarsson
finished with two assists.
After Los Angeles killed a penalty to
open the third period, Michal Handzus caught the Kings napping and set
up a break with the speedy Hossa, who ripped a precise shot for his
seventh goal of the postseason.
"That's one thing that (coach) Darryl
(Sutter) has been hard on us for right now," Kings defenseman Drew
Doughty said. "We're making too many turnovers, in the neutral zone
especially. That was a cause of two of the goals. We made turnovers and
they came back down on odd-man rushes and scored. If we want to win,
it's something we can't be doing."
The Kings played their third straight
game without center Mike Richards, who has an apparent concussion after a
big hit from Chicago's Dave Bolland in the series opener. Richards was
the Kings' leading postseason scorer with 10 points when he got hurt.
Los Angeles' unbeaten stretch at home
ended in unusual fashion with the blown lead, and the low-scoring Kings'
title defense could be over in two days. The NHL hasn't had a repeat
champion since the Detroit Red Wings in 1998, and Los Angeles has
managed just eight goals in four games against the powerful Blackhawks.
"They didn't have many great scoring
chances," Crawford said. "We mostly kept them to the outside. It was
great for us to shut them down."
Chicago needs one win in three games to
advance to its second Stanley Cup finals appearance since 1992. The
Blackhawks have been mostly rolling since their 5-2 victory in the
season opener at Los Angeles in January, ruining the Kings'
banner-raising ceremony.
The Blackhawks hadn't won a playoff
round in the past two seasons since their Stanley Cup triumph,
replenishing their roster on the fly around their talented young core.
Just nine players remain from the
championship team, but it's safe to say the rebuild is complete for a
team that won its second Presidents' Trophy with a 36-7-5 regular
season, followed by a gutsy rally from a 1-3 series deficit against
Detroit to escape the second round.
The Kings opened Game 4 with the same
urgency they showed two days earlier, forcing their way into Chicago's
zone and preventing the Blackhawks' usual slick passing. Los Angeles'
fourth line created the first goal just 3:28 in when Kyle Clifford
passed from behind Chicago's net to Voynov, who skated in alone for a
slap shot past Crawford.
The goal was Voynov's sixth of the postseason, extending his single-season playoff record for Kings defensemen.
Chicago responded, easily killing a
penalty while holding Los Angeles without a shot for about 11 minutes.
The Blackhawks evened it on an innocent-looking play by Bickell, whose
wobbly shot somehow got out of Quick's glove for his eighth goal of the
postseason.
Bickell is on a remarkable playoff run
before unrestricted free agency this summer, scoring a goal in each of
the past three games and five of seven overall.
The Kings went back ahead early in the
second period on another strong shift by their newly assembled big line
featuring Carter, Penner and rookie Tyler Toffoli, who has taken
Richards' place in the lineup. They also victimized the Blackhawks'
third defensive pairing: Carter drove the net while Chicago's Nick Leddy
failed to knock him off the puck, and Penner swept home the rebound of
Carter's backhand when Brookbank couldn't move him out of the crease.
Chicago tied it late in the period when
Hjalmarsson launched a long shot through Bickell's screen and past
Quick. Kane tapped it home for a much-needed boost for the prolific
scorer who had managed just two goals in the playoffs after getting 23
in the regular season.
After Hossa scored his second goal of
the series, Quick made an exceptional glove save on Kane later in the
third period. But Quick and the Kings have yielded 10 goals in the
series -- the same number they gave up in six first-round games and
seven second-round games.
"It's a loss. They're all the same," Quick said. "We've just got to win one game. That's all we've got to do."
NOTES:
The Kings lost at home in regulation just four times in the regular
season. ... Brookbank played only 6:50 and was a minus-2, but coach Joel
Quenneville praised his work. ... Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown has
one goal in the last nine games, none in the conference finals. Top
scorer Anze Kopitar has one goal in 13 games, also none in this series.
Brown and Kopitar tied for the NHL playoff scoring lead last season with
20 points apiece.
