Blackhawks Score Big Against the Flyers, Kings Win Fifth Straight

Going up against their former goalie didn’t stop the Chicago Blackhawks (23-6-5) on Wednesday as they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers (13-15-3), 7-2.

The Blackhawks were on fire in the second period with five goals. It all started with Duncan Keith and Andrew Shaw each scoring within 39 seconds of each other, giving the Blackhawks their first lead, followed by Michal Handzus, Kris Versteeg and Jonathan Toews. At the end of the scoring flurry, the team had a 5-2 lead.

For the night, Patrick Sharp also scored one goal with two assists while Marian Hossa had three assists of his own. The Blackhawks have now won three straight games after a three-game losing streak. Their seven goals represent a season high as they lead the league with 129 goals.

Duncan Keith

Keith said of the game via the Associated Press, “We have a quiet confidence we can score goals. Our talk in the room is more about playing the right way, being good defensively, being hard on pucks, checking well. We know our offense is going to take care of itself if we play that way.”

Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford is out for three weeks with a groin injury so the net has been turned over to rookie goalie Antti Raanta. The team is in good hands. With Wednesday’s win, Raanta won his second straight game (28 saves). He now sits at 5-0-1 in his young NHL career.

For the Flyers, backup goalie Ray Emery got the starting nod and faced his former team for the first time. While he received a standing ovation in the first period, it is likely an outing he won’t want to remember. By the top of the third period, Emery was pulled for the night after giving up six goals on 18 shots.

The Flyers two scores came from Jakub Voracek and Steve Downie. Te team has now lost three straight games and on their six-game road trip, they have gone 2-3-1.

On Saturday, the Blackhawks will try to keep their win streak alive when they play the Toronto Maple Leafs (16-13-3). They sit at 15/2 to win the 2014 Stanley Cup.

The Flyers won’t get a break and will play the Montreal Canadiens (19-10-3) on Thursday. Their losing streak continues (-135, 5 o/u).

In Other News…

The Los Angeles Kings (21-7-4) grabbed their fifth straight win on Wednesday with a 3-1 win over the Canadiens.

Tied at 1-1 entering the third period, Jeff Carter hit the tiebreaking goal in the middle of the period, followed by a second one scored by Kyle Clifford.

The sole Canadiens goal came from Cody Franson.

The Kings rookie goalie Martin Jones, who just came up to the league on Dec. 3, continued his good run as he had 37 saves and has now won four straight games. This includes two straight shutouts versus the New York Islanders (9-18-5) and the Canadiens.

Martin Jones

Jones said of Wednesday’s game via NHL.com, “I’m starting to get a little more comfortable out there. I don’t think today was my most solid game that I’ve had, some rebounds here and there. I know there’s a lot of work to do, not every game is going to go as good as these last few. I’ve just got to make sure I keep working and keep trying to get better.”

For Toronto goalie Jonathan Bernier, it was a homecoming on Wednesday as he faced his former team who had traded him to the Maple Leafs back on June 23. His night was less successful as the rookie’s as he had only 20 saves.

The Kings now sit 12-1-4 from their last 17 games and during that time, they have neither given up either a first-period goal nor greater than two in a game.

On Saturday, the Kings will play the Ottawa Senators (12-14-6). They sit at 16/1 to win the 2014 Stanley Cup.

The Canadiens will play the St. Louis Blues (20-6-3) on Thursday and will lose again (-245, 5.5 o/u).