Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles' veteran captain, scored a pair of goals in the opening period, leading the Kings to a dominant victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
The Kings recovered from their loss against St. Louis with a strong performance that boosted their position in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference playoffs.
Interim coach Jim Hiller commended Talbot's early saves and Kopitar's goalscoring prowess, emphasizing their crucial role in the team's success.
Cam Talbot turned away 28 shots for his third shutout of the campaign and his career's 31st, contributing significantly to Los Angeles' win.
Kopitar notched his 19th and 20th goals with precise cross-ice passes from youngster Quinton Byfield in a dominant first period.
Reaching the 20-goal mark for the 13th time in his 18 seasons, Kopitar continues to showcase his scoring ability despite his age.
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Laferriere, and Jordan Spence each tallied a goal and an assist, providing additional support for the Kings.
Los Angeles has a 6-0-2 record against Chicago since November 2019.
It was great to get off to the lead, but what we saw was Talbs had to make two or three big saves early
Kings interim coach Jim Hiller
Luke Richardson, Blackhawks coach, conceded that the Kings played well.
The Kings pressured Arvid Soderblom, forcing him out of the net with less than four minutes remaining in the first period after conceding four goals on 14 shots.
Petr Mrazek relieved Soderblom and blocked a considerable number of attempts, saving 22 of 23 shots.
Chicago, currently in last place, suffered their 10th shutout loss this season following two consecutive victories where they scored a combined 14 goals.
Dubois marked his 500th career game, while Spence, a defenseman, netted his first goal of the campaign after playing 55 games.
We had a hard time, you know, winning puck battles and I think that was a big difference tonight.
Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson
Landon Slaggert, a 21-year-old forward drafted by the Blackhawks in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft, experienced his first professional game during this encounter with the Los Angeles Kings.
After this loss, Chicago recalled forward Lukas Reichel, the 17th overall pick in the 2020 draft, from Rockford of the AHL. Zach Sanford was assigned to its top minor league affiliate.
Getting to 5-0
In an impressive display of offensive prowess, the Los Angeles Kings managed to score three goals within the opening five minutes of the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks.
At the 3:10 mark of the first period, Dubois seized an excellent opportunity presented by a power play and expertly finished off a beautifully executed cross-ice pass from Quinton Byfield, scoring his initial goal against the Blackhawks for the season.
Dubois fired a shot into the net from a sharp angle at the left circle.
An intricately executed cross-ice pass from Quinton Byfield reached Matt Roy at the top of the right circle during the opening period. The puck was then skillfully redirected by Laferriere, leading to his 10th goal in the game against Chicago.
An impressive cross-ice feed from Quinton Byfield set up Anze Kopitar for his opening tally against Chicago at the 8:03 mark, leaving the rookie defensemen Connor Bedard and Kevin Korchinski in a state of confusion as they struggled to keep up with the veteran's agility.
Anze Kopitar continued his impressive performance in the second period by converting a skilfully executed backhand pass from Quinton Byfield into a goal from a prime position near the left edge of the crease.
With just over two periods elapsed, Spence secured Los Angeles' victory by scoring a goal at the 2:31 mark of the third period. His shot inadvertently hit Mrazek and trickled into the net, providing an insurance goal for the Kings.
The Kings are set to challenge the Dallas Stars on Saturday, while the Blackhawks prepare to host the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.
