Blackhawks snap 3-game skid with scrappy 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings

The Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings weren’t going to re-create double-overtime playoff moments from the early 2010s on Tuesday, but the game was still an entertaining affair. This time around, two bottom-five teams were looking for a spark.

The Kings came into the United Center as 30th in the NHL in their first season in two decades without former captain Anže Kopitar. The Hawks came in 31st in their first season with Connor Bedard as their captain.

Not either team’s ideal start.

But the Hawks (4-8-0) closed their homestand with a win, beating the Kings 2-1. They finished their seven-game home stint 3-4-0.

Their effort was present Sunday against the Florida Panthers, but a few mistakes cost them in the 3-2 loss. The Hawks mostly kept it clean against the Kings (3-6-2), while also sticking together for all 60 minutes.

“We’re in a spot where we need wins, but I thought we did it in a way that was conducive to continue to win,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “We didn’t give a lot up, we stayed on top of them, and that’s the way we need to play to be successful.”

The Kings played the day before — a 6-3 win over the New York Rangers — and got an early jump. The road team sprinted out to an 8-0 advantage in shots on goal, and a tap-in from defenseman Samuel Helenius made it 1-0 in just 2 minutes, 31 seconds.

“A lot of times, the team that played the night before has jump early, you’re battle-tested, and then you wear out,” Blashill said. “I thought it was important to take advantage of a team that comes in here on a back-to-back.”

The Hawks weren’t flustered by the quick jab, keeping their guard up the rest of the way. Shots on goal leaned the Kings’ way at 10-9, but the shot attempts were even at 21 after the first period.

“You’re down 1-0 early in the game and just kind of stuck with it, didn’t really give up much,” Patrick Kane said. “I thought we were the better hockey team tonight, we deserved to win.”

Scoring for the home team began in the second period with Roman Kantserov’s power-play goal. The 22-year-old wing has scored five goals this season, the most by an NHL rookie at the time of the final horn.

The Hawks’ special teams, mainly the power play, have been a work in progress for some time now. They came into Tuesday’s game with the league’s worst power play at 8.3%, but were able to produce an adequate amount of chances with the man-advantage to go with Kantserov’s goal.

Kane and Bedard switched sides on the power play against the Kings to create a spark. It worked, at least for the night, and Kane said he’s open to adapting to the left side.

“There’s different times back in the day where I would line up on the left side if the faceoff was over there and play downhill just to start, and then you switch,” Kane said. “But I don’t mind it, it feels pretty good. You have the opportunity to pull and shoot and make plays on your forehand, so I’ll keep working to get comfortable with it and try to own that position.”

Blashill tried out new lines for the Los Angeles game, with the third line of Kane, Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar. The coach might have discovered his best one — the trio outshot the Kings 10-1 while on the ice together.

“It’s three dynamic players, I think Moore and (Nazar) have had pretty good spurts of playing really well together, and then you put (Kane) on there who has a great brain and can put pucks to spots for those guys,” Blashill said. “I thought it was a really dynamic line, that gives us a good line moving forward.”

Nazar may not be lighting up the stat sheet, but he has created scoring chances for his teammates. Finishing is still a concern, as it is for all the Hawks players, but he could be in for a stellar season if that dam does break.

“He creates for sure, there’s definitely something there with him,” Kane said of Nazar. “He finds a way to create, whether it’s shorthanded or just getting up the ice.”

Moore, 21, was in the lineup after being a healthy scratch against the Panthers on Sunday. He has eight shot attempts in 11 minutes, 28 seconds of ice time.

Andrew Mangiapane was scratched on Tuesday.

“(Moore) comes back in and I thought he was one of our best forwards tonight,” Kane said. “I think once he learns the ins and outs of playing the game and where he fits in the lineup — I know it’s tough when you’re that young and you’re all around the lineup and you’ve got a different role, but he’s got a lot of potential.”

Wyatt Kaiser, who had six shot attempts in 20 minutes, 14 seconds of ice time, scored what was the game-winning goal at 7 minutes, 17 seconds in the third period.

The Kings had opportunities to tie the game, but the Hawks stood firm — they killed Sam Rinzel’s four-minute double minor and allowed just one shot on goal in a last-minute 6-on-5.

Bedard blocked and cleared a shot by Artemi Panarin — who won the Calder Trophy with the Hawks in 2015-16 — with 22 seconds left and drew a holding penalty on the 34-year-old to seal the game.

“I think he gets knocked about on defense more than he should, he can be a really good defensive player,” Blashill said of his 21-year-old team captain. “There’s a reason why he’s out there at the end of the game, because when the game’s on the line, he is hyper competitive. I’ll go to war with that kid anytime and that block’s indicative of that.”

It was a tough, scrappy, and much-needed win for the home team. Should that become the identity the Hawks adopt for the rest of the way? Maybe, but with two Original Six road games (Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins) up next, they’ll hope to use the momentum of Tuesday’s win to string a streak together.

“The way things are going right now, you might have to win a game 2-1 or 3-2,” Kane said. “The attitude and the demeanor throughout the locker room, it’s been tough sledding for sure, but just to kind of hang in there and keep grinding, I think we’ve been playing better. So, nice to be rewarded tonight and have a good feeling after the game.”