Kings at Blackhawks
After being a virtual no-show in the first four contests, Patrick Kane has been all the rage as the Chicago Blackhawks staved off elimination on two separate occasions to send the Western Conference final to a decisive seventh game. The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner looks to continue his sizzling stretch as the defending Stanley Cup-champion Blackhawks host the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Kane followed a four-point performance by scoring his second goal of the contest with 3:45 remaining in the third period to snap a tie as Chicago skated to a 4-3 road triumph in Game 6 on Friday.
"I'm sure it's fun for the fans to watch, but we know (the Kings are) a resilient group," Kane told the Chicago Sun-Times. "They've won two Game 7s on the road in the first two series. It's going to be a tough one." Should the Blackhawks emerge victorious on Sunday, they would vie for their third Stanley Cup title in five years when they face the Original Six-rival New York Rangers. If Los Angeles avoids suffering a third straight setback for the third time this postseason, the Kings would attempt to secure their second title in three years.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, RDS
ABOUT THE KINGS: Drew Doughty has proven himself to be a winner in his career, collecting gold medals at the World Junior Hockey Championships in 2008 and a pair for Team Canada in the last two Olympic Games - as well as the Stanley Cup title in 2012. The 24-year-old defenseman also has been mammoth in this series, recording three goals and setting up four others in the last five games. "We had two chances to close out this series and we're not going to blow a third one," Doughty said.
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS: Jonathan Toews aptly has been nicknamed "Captain Serious" for his even-keel nature - regardless of the circumstance. "I don’t think anything motivates you like having your back against the wall, potentially walking into a game where your season might end," Toews said with little change in tone. "... We have a chance to stay alive and keep playing hockey for a little while longer." Chicago has done precisely that when series have extended past Game 4 over the last two years - posting a perfect 13-0 mark.
OVERTIME
1. Los Angeles will join the 1993 Toronto Maple Leafs and 2002 Colorado Avalanche as the only teams in NHL history to play all 21 games through three rounds. The Kings are trying to become the first club to win three straight Game 7s to reach the Stanley Cup final.
2. Chicago owns an 8-1 mark this postseason at the United Center, although Los Angeles made the lone dent with a 6-2 drubbing in Game 2.
3. The Rangers posted a pair of one-goal victories over the Blackhawks in the regular season while splitting two meetings with the Kings.