A trip home proved to be just the right medicine for an ailing Kings team that dropped their last two games in Chicago. Completely revitalized, the Kings took care of business to pick-up a 3-1 victory in a must-win situation.
Playing with more poise and finally showing off their speed and strength, the Kings were superior up and down the ice. With Mike Richards out for the second straight game, the Kings received big time performances from Jeff Carter, Justin Williams and Slava Voynov to get back in the series. Jonathan Quick also bounced back after being pulled in Game 2, giving the Kings another dominant performance on home ice.
The sputtering Kings offense got back on track three minutes into the game, when Justin Williams beat Corey Crawford for his sixth goal of the postseason. A Slava Voynov slap pass from the point set Williams up perfectly to slot the puck between Crawford and the near post to give the Kings the early lead.
The Blackhawks struggled to keep up in the second, getting outshot 9-3 by their hosts. On one of those nine shots, the Kings doubled their lead, off the stick of Slava Voynov. A sly Tyler Toffoli backhand pass from beside the goal led to a rocket from the pinching Voynov, who earned his second point of the game.
With 11 postseason points, Voynov has become a key contributor for the Kings with his offensive flair and his tendency to score clutch goals. If not for Jonathan Quick’s constant heroics, Voynov might be a serious Conn Smythe contender.
Quick made 19 saves in the victory, only conceding to Bryan Bickell in the dying seconds of the middle period. Bickell’s wrap around effort continued a strong postseason for the underrated winger, and it put the Blackhawks back in the game. However, Chicago could not find the equalizer.
With nearly half of their chances coming in the third, the Blackhawks made Drew Doughty and the Kings work for it, but overtime was not in the offing. Instead, Dwight King found the open net for his first goal of the playoffs.
The Kings are now 9-0 at the Staples center, and a tenth victory on Thursday night would even the series. As impressive as their home record is, the Kings have lost seven of eight away from home and they will need to win at least once in Chicago to advance to the finals.
If Darryl Sutter can’t transfer L.A.’s home confidence on to the road, they will still face an uphill battle.
Meanwhile, Chicago has yet to see their stars perform up to their usual standard. Jonathan Toews started to gain steam late in the last round, but he has once again descended into a slump. Perhaps a big Game 4 performance from the Blackhawks captain could snap the Kings streak and put the Blackhawks on the brink of the Cup finals.
