Los Angeles Kings @ Chicago
The Blackhawks didn't have Duncan Keith or Marian Hossa, but they did have enough to defeat the Kings 4-2 at United Center, ending the Kings' seven-game winning streak. Trailing 2-1 to start the third period, Chicago scored three goals on 12 shots against Kings goalie Jonathan Quick and got 19 saves by goalie Corey Crawford in the third for its sixth straight win at home. Crawford made 33 saves and is 6-3-0. Patrick Kane, Teuvo Teravainen and Artem Anisimov scored goals in the third. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, Anisimov and Kane each had a goal and assist. Kane tied the game at 1:22 of the third. Quick, who made 22 saves, had won six straight games and posted a 1.31 goals-against average with a .955 save percentage during Los Angeles' streak. He made 13 saves on 14 shots through the first two periods, including one in the first on a breakaway by Blackhawks rookie Artemi Panarin, but Chicago's pressure was eventually too much. After Kane's goal to start the third, Teravainen put the Blackhawks up 3-2 at 9:02 off a no-look pass from Kane behind the net. Anisimov sealed it at 18:27 with his second shorthanded goal of the season. Keith is recovering from surgery to repair a meniscal tear in his right knee and will be out at least three more weeks. Hossa is out because of an undisclosed lower-body injury, but might return against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday at United Center.
Without Hossa on the top line, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville reconfigured his top two forward units. He put Panarin at left wing with the top group and Teravainen at left wing on Kane's line, which is centered by Anisimov. Los Angeles got goals by defenseman Alec Martinez and center Anze Kopitar, which were each scored in the first. After the Kings missed on some close calls in the second, they were shut out in the third despite 19 shots and two power plays.
Anisimov scored during the second power play, but the Blackhawks used their penalty kill on the first Los Angeles man-advantage to spark a dominant three-minute stretch earlier in the third. Panarin, who'd been assessed a slashing minor at 3:56, came out of the penalty box and got two shots that forced Quick to make difficult saves 20 seconds apart. The first was Panarin's second breakaway of the game, and despite not scoring, it set the stage for Chicago's next two goals. Starting the play that ended with Teravainen's goal, Anisimov kept a play alive in the Kings' end of the ice to work the puck to Kane behind the net. Kane spotted Teravainen cruising toward the left post, put the puck on his stick and Teravainen's shot hit the back of the net before Quick could get to it. Anismiov scored during a penalty kill with Ryan Garbutt in the box for holding. After Toews got him the puck with a precision pass, he broke in alone against Quick and deked to the forehand. He tucked the puck between Quick's right skate and the left post for his fifth goal and second off a shorthanded breakaway. Kopitar's goal in the first gave the Kings a 2-1 lead.
Corey Crawford: "They were playing really well. We knew it was going to be a tough game. We had a good first period. We just had two tough goals [allowed], but I thought we played well throughout the whole game. [We got] some key goals tonight, which made a difference."
Joel Quenneville Asked if Teravainen did enough to stay there, regardless of Hossa's status: "I'm not changing a thing right now. [Toews] made a nifty play to [Anisimov]. We can't score on breakaways except for [Anisimov], so it was nice to see him finish it. He's been real good ... he's been an excellent fit for us."
Teuvo Teravainen: "I'm trying to get myself going. I know I haven't been my best lately, so I need to get focused on simple things. Get to the net, shoot to the net, skate hard and good things will come."
Darryl Sutter: "If we could’ve made it 3-1, [it] probably would've made a big difference. Just couldn't get the third goal. I go into every game like it's the last game. I just think we couldn't get the third goal and it was the difference in the game."
Anze Kopitar: "We have to put this one behind us. It definitely stinks. It's not a good feeling right now. We're going into a pretty tough building [Tuesday] night too. We have to make sure we're better prepared and ready to go."
Tuesday, November 03
Calgary Flames @ Colorado 3-6
Matt Duchene and Jarome Iginla each scored two goals to help the Colorado Avalanche to a 6-3 win against the Flames at Pepsi Center. Duchene, who had gone six games without a goal, scored his first even-strength goal of the season late in the first period and deflected Francois Beauchemin's shot from the left point behind goalie Karri Ramo on a power play with 5:31 left in the third period for a 5-3 lead. The Avalanche had a season-high 42 shots, led by Duchene and linemates Gabriel Landeskog (two assists) and Carl Soderberg, who combined for 16 shots. The Avalanche had gone 1-4-1 in their previous six games at home and were 1-5-1 in the previous seven overall. The Flames have lost five of their past six games. Colorado has had problems in the third period, and after building a 3-1 lead watched Calgary score late in the second to pull within a goal and tie it 3-3 at 7:34 of the third. Mark Giordano took a long shot which hit Beauchemin's glove and dribbled underneath goalie Semyon Varlamov's right pad. The Avalanche went ahead for good 4-3 at 13:01 when Iginla won a battle for the puck from Joe Colborne along the right-wing boards and passed to Nathan MacKinnon at the top of the slot for a quick shot. The Flames pulled within 3-2 with 1:27 to go in the second period on a goal by Sam Bennett, who has two goals and four assists in a four-game scoring streak. Bennett retrieved the puck behind the net, circled in front and put it by goalie Varlamov's left pad.
The Avalanche took their 3-1 lead on a shorthanded goal by defenseman Erik Johnson, who ripped a shot from the right point at 15:14. It was Johnson's first goal in nine games. He also had an assist. Johnny Gaudreau tied the game 1-1 for Calgary at 4:08 of the second period on a 2-on-1 rush. Gaudreau, who had gone 10 games without a goal, scored from the right circle with a shot that eluded Varlamov to the stick side. The Avalanche went ahead 2-1 at 12:19 when Iginla tipped in a shot by Tyson Barrie, who had three assists. Iginla's two goals were his first in six career games against his former team. He has now scored against every NHL team. The Flames thought they scored twice in the period, but came away empty following video reviews. The Avalanche took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Duchene with 22 seconds remaining in the first period. Duchene moved in on Ramo, who stopped his first shot. Duchene was at the right side of the net when he retrieved the loose puck and poked it inside the near post.
Matt Duchene: "It feels good, but I think the biggest thing is I'd trade both of them in to keep that win for sure. I think we needed that one. We've been working really hard and going through some stuff. We've got a lot of character in this room, and a lot of fight, and tonight we showed it. They tied it up and it's like déjà vu again and we're sitting on the bench shaking our heads. But we buckled down and made sure that we got this one tonight. It feels great."
Patrick Roy: "That line had a good night. They had to play against their top line, had a lot of shots on net, played a sound game. I thought they were solid. I was very happy to see us scoring goals. I thought we had a good mix. The power-play goal was a big one. It was a solid team effort. Sometimes you don't always want it pretty, you want a win, but tonight it was fun to see us play some good hockey and win the game at the same time."
Nathan MacKinnon: "[Iginla] made a great play along the wall. He won the battle, fed me. It was right in my wheelhouse and I had to shoot it hard. The [defenseman] was screening and I'm happy it went in."
Erik Johnson: "I was screaming, screaming, screaming to [Beauchemin] to give me the puck. He zipped it across and I got a quick slapper off and put it over the glove. Any time you can get a contribution shorthanded it boosts the team and I'm just happy to get the win. There's nothing better than winning."
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