RECAP: Richards' 2 goals lead Blackhawks over Kings
Brad Richards scored two goals, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 on Saturday night.
In a matchup of teams that both won two of the last five Stanley Cup titles, Daniel Carcillo added a goal, and Brandon Saad scored into an empty net with 1:49 remaining.
Corey Crawford made 19 saves for the Blackhawks, who went 5-1 on their road trip.
Jordan Nolan scored, and Jonathan Quick stopped 21 shots for Los Angeles.
It was the first meeting between the teams since the Western Conference finals, won in seven games by the eventual Cup champion Kings.
Trailing 2-0, the Kings got on the board at 5:53 of the second period when defenseman Jake Muzzin's slap shot from the left point hit the shaft of Nolan's stick and fluttered between Crawford's pads.
HIGHLIGHT: Jordan Nolan redirects the puck into the net to get the @LAKings on the board against the @NHLBlackhawks. http://t.co/bw9qV3rHVB
— Kings Vision (@KingsVision) November 30, 2014
It was the first goal in 14 games this season for Nolan, who would have been a healthy scratch if not for Marian Gaborik's upper-body injury.
Chicago regained its two-goal margin at 8:14 of the second on a rush in which four players touched the puck in the Kings end. Richards converted Michal Rozsival's pass at the left of the net for his sixth goal and third in two games.
Richards failed to score a goal for the New York Rangers during last season's Stanley Cup finals.
Always tip well pic.twitter.com/zHKRaXzHAa
— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 30, 2014
Carcillo opened the scoring at 1:52 of the first, batting in his own rebound after the Kings won a faceoff in their zone and turned over the puck.
Just 28 seconds after serving Crawford's tripping penalty, Kris Versteeg took the puck away from Quick and Matt Greene behind the net and found Richards at the left of the crease for a one-timer that beat Quick with 2:01 left in the first.
NOTES: Kings D Alec Martinez missed his seventh straight game because of an upper-body injury. ... This was the sixth time this season that Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane both failed to get a point for the Blackhawks, and the first time the team won (1-4-1). ... The Blackhawks came in averaging an NHL-leading 36.5 shots on net. ... Chicago's only power-play opportunity came when Robyn Regehr was sent off for hooking with 10:37 left in the third period. ... The Blackhawks entered Saturday averaging the second-fewest penalty minutes in the NHL (7.5) and a league-best penalty-killing percentage of 90.9. They were short-handed twice in each of their previous four games, and three times against the Kings.
