Kings break 10-game skid off Blackhawks' shaky defense
Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are on pace for career seasons.
Alex DeBrincat might score 45 goals.
Brandon Saad has bounced back with a vengeance.
In the end, none of it will matter for the Blackhawks because coach Jeremy Colliton's team continues to play shaky defense and absolutely, positively cannot figure out a way to slow down the opponent's power play.
That's exactly what happened in Los Angeles on Saturday as the Kings pumped in 2 power-play goals in the first five minutes and snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory.
The Hawks were down 3-0 after 15:13 and fought back to tie it thanks to 2 goals by Brendan Perlini and another by Connor Murphy, but Adrian Kempe scored just 71 seconds after Murphy's tally and the Kings went on to post their first win since Feb. 7.
"It's tough when you have to come from behind the whole game," Colliton told reporters. "You kind of run out of energy. Right away we're chasing it. …
"That's no formula to win important games in March and April, that's for sure."
No, it's not. And the penalty kill formula has been poisoned most of the season as the Hawks have killed off just 72.6 percent of opponents' power plays. The next worst team this century was the 2017-18 New York Islanders (73.2), and you have to go back to 1985-86 to find a team with a worst percentage than these Hawks.
The bottom line is that playoff teams do not finish dead last on the penalty kill. That feat hasn't been accomplished since 1996-97, when Montreal qualified in a 26-team NHL.
The Hawks (27-29-9) have now allowed 2 or more power-play goals 12 times, and they are 3-8-1 in those contests.
Personnel-wise, it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot the Hawks can do. So the guys who are out there need to be willing to sacrifice more by blocking shots no matter the cost. The Hawks had just 8 blocks against Los Angeles, and 12 in losses to Colorado and Dallas last weekend.
Against the Kings, it took only a minute, 52 seconds for the Hawks to stub their collective toe with a too-many-men on the ice penalty. Colliton's squad did a decent job at first, but Drew Doughty spotted Dustin Brown skating ahead of Murphy and Slater Koekkoek, and Doughty zipped a perfect stretch pass to his teammate. Brown's initial shot was stopped, but he easily slapped home the rebound to put the Kings up 1-0.
Just 32 seconds later, Dylan Strome was called for tripping Jeff Carter, and the Kings cashed in again when Sean Walker's shot sailed past Crawford at 4:42.
Again, the Hawks penalty killers did a decent job for a while, but it wasn't enough.
Next up for the Hawks are the San Jose Sharks, who rank fourth on the power play and are 20-5-5 in their own building.
"Time's ticking here," said Duncan Keith, "and each game that goes by it's a wasted opportunity. That was a big two points today that we missed out on. It just seems like the desperation level to play the right way has to be there.
"We've got to have a good start - and I think we had a good start tonight. We really did. I felt that way. And then we took a penalty and they scored, and we ended up getting another penalty and they scored again.
"It's tough. They got momentum, they started getting their legs and skating after that. It's a fine line, but it's about finding a way.
"Having that heart to find a way."
Scouting report
Scouting report
Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks, 9 p.m. at SAP Center
TV: NBCSCH • Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: San Jose went 13-3-0 to start off the calendar year, but has struggled a bit lately, going 4-3-1 over the last eight games. The Sharks have been without defenseman Erik Karlsson (groin) since Jan. 19, and also did not have Evander Kane in a 4-3 win over Colorado on Friday. ... Brent Burns leads all NHL D-men with 71 points. Nineteen of his 58 assists have come on the power play. Joe Pavelski (36), Tomas Hertl (28) and Kane (27) are the leading goal scorers. Pavelski needs 6 more goals to set a career high. ... The Sharks rank fourth on the power play (25.3 percent) and are 22-for-75 (29.2 percent) over the last 25 games. The Hawks have the worst penalty kill in the league.
Next: Buffalo Sabres, 7:30 p.m. Sunday at United Center
- John Dietz