Teuvo Teravainen and Artem Anisimov scored late goals as the Chicago Blackhawks topped the Los Angeles Kings, 4-2, on Monday night at the United Center.
After dropping games on back-to-back nights in Winnipeg and Minnesota last week, and losing Marian Hossa to a lower body injury (day-to-day) in the process, the Blackhawks returned to the United Center searching for a more potent offensive threat. With the L.A. Kings (winners of their last 7 games) coming to town, the Hawks recalled forward prospect Marko Dano from the AHL’s Rockford Icehogs and demoted former playoff hero/current team whipping boy Bryan Bickell.
Justifying the decision by Coach Joel Quenneville to split up Artemi Panarin, Anisimov, and Patrick Kane, the most consistent scoring line to date, the Hawks seemed to come out with a little jump. 6 minutes into the 1st period, Jonathan Toews one-timed a pass from Ryan Garbutt off a 2-on-1 rush sprung by the work of Panarin along the boards. It was the Captain’s 5th goal in 4 games. Panarin was also denied on a partial breakaway chance in the 8th minute.
With 5:21 left to play in the first, some not-so-great work in the corner by Erik Gustafsson led to a one-timer past Hawks’ goalie Corey Crawford by Kings’ defenseman Alec Martinez from the top of the right circle to tie the score. Then with 1:17 left, the Hawks defense got caught standing around again as Anze Kopitar cleaned up a rebound for a 2-1 Kings lead. Jake Muzzin had 2 assists in the period.
Both teams generated a scoring chance or two in the second period, highlighted by another 3-on-1 for the Toews line early on, this time stopped by the fumbly ice of the UC. There were some fisticuffs after a scrum near Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick with about 5:30 left, but neither team was able to dent the twine.
Patrick Kane tied the score about 1:20 into the third period with his seventh goal of the season, extending his point-scoring streak to 7 games. Kane took advantage of the space given to him by the L.A. defense through the neutral zone and wristed a laser from the left circle that may have tipped off Martinez and past Quick’s #glovehand. Kane would utilize more black magic with 11 minutes to go as he connected with Teravainen with a no-look, backhand pass from behind the net for Finnish Cold’s third of the year and a 3-2 Hawks lead.
From that point forward, Crawford bailed out some sketchy defense and made several key stops, finishing with 33 saves, and 19 in the third period alone. Toews corralled an L.A. blue line turnover with 1:30 left and found a streaking Anisimov up the middle for a shorthanded breakaway score to put the game away.
Outshot and outhit for most of the night, Toews and Kane were the difference with 2 points apiece. The Blackhawks move their record to 7-5 on the season. They’ll need their franchise players to have another big game as they travel to St. Louis for the first time this season to face off with the Blues on Wednesday Rivalry Night.
ONE, TWO, TREE THOUGHTS
Marko Dano was okay in his Hawks debut. He finished with an even +/- and 1 shot on net. He played 11 minutes, but not a whole lot after he got caught watching on the Kings’ first goal, which was why he was sent down to the Rock after training camp in the first place
Artemi Panarin is a stud. He reminds me of a right-handed Patrick Kane on offense, except he is stronger than Kane was at his age. Once Panarin gets comfortable here in Chicago and stops deferring to his linemates, look out. He took control for stretches of tonight’s game and looks like another notch in the general managing belt of Stan Bowman.
Patrick Kane is off to a hot start. He’s currently third in the league with 7 goals and 16 points in his first 12 games. If Kane can keep up this 100-plus point pace, he could be in line for his first Ross and Hart trophies at the end of the year.