Dungeons and dragons?
For the Kings, at least captain Dustin Brown, the Blackhawks have been like a "mythical dragon." Chicago had won eight of its last nine games against the Kings and were within 20 minutes of taking another one.
Then came an inspirational group session after the second period. The Kings would go on to score five third-period goals, including two on the power play to seize hold and win Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night, 6-2. This equalized the best-of-seven game series at one game each.
Talk about fighting their way out of the United Center dungeon.
It's a most-intimidating, imposing and loud arena. In fact, the reigning Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks had been a flawless 7-0 at home in this postse! ason before the Kings rolled over them and goalie Corey Crawford in the third period. Chicago had not allowed more than four goals in a game during this postseason.
That gave the Kings more than a flicker of hope for the third. Kings Coach Darryl Sutter apparently didn't have much to say during the intermission but his veteran players filled in the gaps.
"It was all us in here," Kings center Jarret Stoll said. "He doesn't really have to say much in situations like that. We came together pretty good and said all the right things. A lot of energy in this room after the second, knowing we could come out and have a great third.
"We knew at this stage of the series, it was the biggest period of the series. We needed to come out and win the game."
Said Brown: "It was unusual — but there was a lot of chatter about positive energy, that was probably the best way to explain it. It was just about having a response and staying positive."
The response was the very definition of scoring balance. The veterans led the way early (Williams, Richards and Carter) and the kids (Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli) took over later with their speed and chemistry. Pearson had assists on the Kings' fourth and fifth goals; the first set up Toffoli and the second contributed to Carter's second goal.
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