Kings 3, Blackhawks 1
Defenseman Slava Voynov collected a goal and an assist as Los Angeles remained perfect at home in the postseason and trimmed its deficit to 2-1 in the Western Conference final.
Justin Williams scored his fourth goal in as many contests and Dwight King added an empty-net tally to preserve the win. Jeff Carter notched two assists and Jonathan Quick turned aside 19 shots for the fifth-seeded Kings, who have won all eight playoff games at Staples Center and 15 straight at home dating back to March 23. Los Angeles will look to even the series when it hosts top-seeded Chicago in Game 4 on Thursday.
Williams opened the scoring 3:21 into the first period after stealing the puck from Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy along the left-wing boards. Voynov settled the puck at the right point before zipping a pass to Williams, who snapped a shot from the left faceoff circle past Corey Crawford (25 saves) for his sixth goal of the postseason.
Voynov scored at 6:37 of the second period to secure his third two-point performance in four contests. Rookie Tyler Toffoli, who replaced the injured Mike Richards for the second consecutive game, stickhandled his way near the left post before the puck squirted out to the right circle. Voynov unleashed a one-timer that broke his stick, but the puck had enough on it to find its way inside the near post.
Bryan Bickell halved the deficit by beating Quick on a wraparound with 34 seconds remaining in the session for his seventh goal of the postseason. Quick exacted a bit of revenge by denying Bickell with a blocker save from in close with just over three minutes remaining in the third period, helping Los Angeles hand Chicago its fourth loss in six road contests.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Four of Voynov's five postseason goals have been game-winners, giving him the league lead in that category. ... D Drew Doughty nearly gave the Kings a 2-0 lead with 45 seconds remaining in the first period, but his shot from the right circle caromed off the left post. The red light went on for a moment and players stopped briefly before chasing the puck down the ice. ... Los Angeles hasn't lost at home since dropping a 1-0 decision to Vancouver. ... Chicago failed to convert on two power-play opportunities to fall to 1-for-18 on the road with the man advantage. ... Actors Tom Cruise and Jim Belushi and television sportscaster Al Michaels were in attendance at Staples Center.