Healthy Toews leads Blackhawks past Kings
Jonathan Toews and Troy Brouwer scored power-play goals in a 3:31 span early in the third period Monday night, leading the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
Toews had been out with a concussion since Vancouver's Willie Mitchell leveled him on Oct. 21. The Blackhawks lost three of six games without their captain, who had a team-high 34 goals last season.
Anze Kopitar scored his 14th goal for the Kings, tying injured Washington star Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead. Although Los Angeles ranks third in the league with 58 goals, it has scored only once in each of its last two games, both losses. The losing streak followed a 6-0-2 stretch that put the Kings near the top of the Western Conference standings.
The Blackhawks held the Kings to 18 shots, including two in the third period.
It was a 1-1 game until 1:33 of the third period, when Brouwer, standing to the right of goalie Jonathan Quick, deflected Patrick Sharp's pass into the net.
At 5:04, Sharp poked the puck away from defenseman Matt Greene in the left circle and Brouwer fed Toews, who scored on a backhander from the slot.
Toews, who also was on the ice for Brouwer's goal, energized a Chicago power play that had converted on only three of its last 33 attempts. The Blackhawks had scored only four man-advantage goals at home all season.
Andrew Ebbett, claimed off waivers from Anaheim last month, scored his first goal with the Blackhawks with 10:40 to play.
John Madden gave Chicago a 1-0 lead 1:04 into the second period. Kopitar tied it about eight minutes later when he scored on a rebound after Cristobal Huet had kicked aside Drew Doughty's shot from the point.
Kopitar leads the league with 28 points. He and linemates Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams have 51 points in their 13 games together.
NOTES: The victory gave the Blackhawks a 73-72-21 lead in the all-time series against the Kings. ... Blackhawks LW Ben Eager was activated from injured reserve after missing 13 games with a concussion. ... It took Kopitar 50 games to get his 14th goal last season. ... Blackhawks C Dave Bolland was out with a back injury.
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