Blackhawks' Patrick Sharp after 'frustrating' Game 2 loss.
Hours before the puck was dropped at the United Center, Kings coach Darryl Sutter was pondering the Blackhawks' remarkable success at home during the postseason.
"Hopefully, the Los Angeles Kings can beat them once," Sutter said. "Think they won the Stanley Cup last year because they're not a great home-ice team? They're historically a great home ice team."
The Hawks weren't all that great at home during Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Wednesday night as the Kings rallied to stun the defending champions 6-2 and even the best-of-seven series at 1-1 with Game 3 scheduled for Saturday night in Los Angeles.
It was the Hawks' first home loss during the postseason and just their third in the last 21 playoff games on the West Side.
Jeff Carter had three goals and an assist and Justin Williams, Jake Muzzin and Tyler Toffoli also scored as the Kings rallied from a 2-0 deficit to seize momentum and home-ice advantage in the series. Jonathan Quick was brilliant in goal to out-duel Hawks netminder Corey Crawford and change the complexion of the series. Tanner Pearson added two assists for the Kings, who reeled off six consecutive goals — five in the third period.
"It's pretty frustrating," Patrick Sharp said. "We got off to a good start through 40 minutes. We were skating well and drew a few penalties and then obviously things unraveled during the third.
"It just goes to show you what can happen when you take your foot off the gas. You make a few mistakes when you let up for a few shifts. That's a quality team over there. They won a Stanley Cup (in 2012) and they're hungry for more."
The Kings got themselves into penalty trouble in the opening period when they committed four minors and the Hawks cashed in when Nick Leddy took a stretch pass from Duncan Keith, broke in on Quick and shoveled a backhander past his glove into the top of the net.
The Hawks never were more dangerous offensively than when they had a defenseman deep in their own zone, head up and puck on his stick as they converted another long pass to make it 2-0.
This time, Smith was the recipient as he stepped onto the ice following a line change and the puck found his stick on a long bomb from Johnny Oduya that Brandon Bollig redirected through the neutral zone. Smith scooped it up and ripped a wrist shot past Quick and the crowd of 22,019 sensed a blowout.
"We just couldn't find a way to keep playing the way we were playing in the first and second," Jonathan Toews said. "It's unfortunate we couldn't bring that effort in the same way. I guess we got what we deserved."
Quick's sensational save on Brent Seabrook two-on-one chance, during which the goalie stretched and slid from post to post to stone the defenseman, gave the Kings a spark. When Williams scored late in the second to make it 2-1, they began rolling.
In the third, Carter scored the first of two consecutive power-play goals on a redirection of a Drew Doughty shot and Muzzin followed with a quick strike that sailed past Crawford and gave the Kings the lead.
Toffoli pounced on a puck that landed in the slot to extend the lead and Carter made it a blowout when he tallied off a two-on-one rush.
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville emptied the net with four minutes remaining to give the Hawks and extra attacker, but Carter ended the scoring with Crawford on the bench.
"They're going to be even better in their own building so we have to expect that," Toews said looking ahead to Game 3. "You have to reflect on what just happened and be ready to raise our own level of play. We're kind of ticked off we might have let one slip away from us here in our own building.
(But) you can't dwell on it too much. We have to focus on what we can do better."
ckuc@tribune.com
Twitter @ChrisKuc
Source : http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/ct-blackhawks-kings-spt-0522-20140522,0,7044340.story
