The Blackhawks got a pretty clear reminder Sunday night about their place in the league.
After winning six of their last seven games, the Hawks lost 2-1 on Sunday to the Kings in front of 19,236 at the United Center. Jaret Anderson-Dolan scored twice for the Kings, while Petr Mrazek stopped 25shots to keep the Hawks somewhat in the game.
Mrazek didn’t get much help until it was too late.
Saturday night in St. Louis, the Hawks didn’t muster a shot on goal until Jason Dickinson scored 10:27 into the first period. On Sunday, it took the Hawks even longer to challenge the Kings’ Pheonix Copley, and Jonathan Toews’ shot off a centering feed from Patrick Kane with 4:24 remaining in the period was stopped by the Los Angeles goalie.
The Kings had no such issues.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead with 10:31 remaining in the first when he pounced on a rebound of a Kevin Fiala shot and hit a vacant net. Anderson-Dolan doubled the Kings’ advantage 6:07 into the second when he got free in the slot and beat Mrazek.
Finally in the third, the Hawks created sustained pressure, which paid off when Ian Mitchell scored his first of the year at the 16:45 mark of the third. That pressure also drew a Drew Doughty penalty at the 19:37 mark, but Los Angeles killed the abbreviated power play.
The Hawks also had to play the last two periods without forward Tyler Johnson, who didn’t return after the first intermission due to an undisclosed injury.