L.A. surprises Chicago
Down 2-0, Kings get final 6, including 5 in third period.
Jeff Carter scored three of Los Angeles’ six straight goals, and the Kings beat the host Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 on Wednesday night to leave the Western Conference final tied at one game apiece.
Drew Doughty and Tyler Toffoli also scored in Los Angeles’ five-goal third period as the Kings became the first visiting team to win in Chicago this postseason. The Blackhawks won their first seven home playoff games this year, but the Kings skated right by Chicago after the defending Stanley Cup champions took a 2-0 lead in the second period.
Game 3 of the best-ofseven series is Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Nick Leddy and Ben Smith scored for Chicago, and Corey Crawford made 25 saves.
The Blackhawks were in position for their fourth consecutive win before Doughty drove a slap shot by Crawford to tie it at 2 just 1:37 into the third. Carter then had another power-play score at 4:04 that gave Los Angeles the lead.
Once the Kings got going, they appeared to get almost anything they wanted against the sagging Blackhawks. Tanner Pearson set up goals by Toffoli at 8:59 and Carter at 14:44, and Carter added an empty-netter for his seventh of the playoffs.
Carter also had an assist in his first career four-point playoff game. It was his second playoff hat trick.
Jonathan Quick made 23 saves for the Kings, including a big stop on Brent Seabrook with Chicago trying for a 3-0 lead in the second.
Rangers happy to be home and up 2-0: Madison Square Garden recently underwent a $1 billion transformation, and yet it will have another completely different feeling once the New York Rangers hit the ice tonight in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Gone will be the fear of impending doom that enveloped the club during its second-round comeback against Pittsburgh. Missing will be the nerves that any goal or loss could mean the end of the season.
Suddenly, the Rangers are the front-runners against the Montreal Canadiens, and their fans now have the chance to celebrate the ride with them.
“Having fan support is obviously huge,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “Unconditional love, it’s something that’s really beneficial to a team.”
New York is riding a five-game winning streak, but four of those victories came on the road — two in Pittsburgh when the Rangers erased a 3-1 series deficit, and the first two in this matchup with Montreal.
The Rangers will skate at the Garden on Thursday night with a series lead for the first time since Game 2 of the first round against Philadelphia 15 games ago.
“It’s a good feeling, but we know we’ve accomplished nothing yet,” forward Martin St. Louis said. “We’re trying to prepare for a Montreal team that’s going to come out with a lot of energy. We know that. This is a big game for everybody.”