Suddenly slumping Kings can’t keep up with Blackhawks in loss
- Share via
CHICAGO — Spencer Knight made 41 saves in his first game with Chicago to help the Blackhawks beat the Kings 5-1 on Monday night.
Former Kings defenseman Alec Martinez and Ethan Del Mastro scored for the Blackhawks, who opened a three-game homestand with their second consecutive win. Ilya Mikheyev, Andreas Athanasiou and Ryan Donato also scored.
Knight was acquired by Chicago when it traded defenseman Seth Jones to Florida on Saturday night.
The Kings have salary-cap space and a need for a second-line center to improve their struggling power play. But will they make a bold move at the trade deadline?
Anze Kopitar scored his 14th goal for the Kings, who dropped a season-high tying fourth straight game. L.A. has scored six goals in that span.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 14 shots.
Mikheyev broke a 1-1 tie with his 12th goal 46 seconds into the second period. The Blackhawks then caught a break when Del Mastro sent the puck toward the net and it went in off the left skate of Kings defenseman Jacob Moverare.
Del Mastro was credited with his second goal in 13 career games. He also scored in Chicago’s 7-5 loss at Vegas on Thursday night.
Athanasiou, also a former King, made it 4-1 when he scored 1:20 into the third. It was his first goal in his second game since he was recalled from the minors on Friday.
The Blackhawks closed it out when Donato got an empty-netter with 1:30 left. It was Donato’s 22nd goal of the season, extending his career high.
