Los Angeles Kings Marian Gaborik (C),Jake Muzzin (L), Alec Martinez celebrate their victory over Chicago Blackhawks at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

By Helene Elliott
Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks elevated their game Saturday above the usual late-November drudgery, displaying enough skill and drama to underscore why they’ve alternated winning the Stanley Cup each of the last four seasons. They also hinted they’ll be formidable foes for any team with hopes of winning the West this season.
In an entertaining game punctuated by ebbs and flows for both teams, the Kings pulled even with the defending champion Blackhawks on a goal by Marian Gaborik with 5 minutes 55 seconds to play in the third period and prevailed in overtime, 3-2, when Gaborik flicked a wrist shot past goaltender Scott Darling 2:04 into the wild, three-on-three session.
The Blackhawks’ loss wasted another stellar performance by right wing Patrick Kane. The NHL’s leading scorer extended his points streak to 19 consecutive games when he scored a power-play goal from the inner edge of the left circle at 11:10 of the first period. That’s the longest streak ever by an American-born NHL player; the record is 51 by Wayne Gretzky in the 1983-84 season.
Although Kane’s streak needs binoculars to see Gretzky’s record, it’s still an impressive feat in an era of low scoring. The goal was his 11th this season and he later assisted on Chicago’s second goal, by Niklas Hjalmarsson, giving him 11 goals and 31 points during the streak. He has 14 goals and 37 points in 24 games.
Kane earned the noteworthy point during a power play. Kings center Anze Kopitar tried to pass the puck to fellow penalty-killer Dustin Brown but Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith poked the puck off Brown’s stick and toward Kane, who didn’t miss.
The Kings knew they’d have to focus on Kane and it wouldn’t be easy to shut him down.
“Pat Kane’s having a career year. He’s a danger all the time and he’s got a little chemistry with the (Artemi) Panarin kid there,” Kings associate head coach John Stevens said after Saturday’s morning skate.
“He’s probably the best player in the league at utilizing the top half of the zone offensively. He’s as good an open-ice player as there is in the league. I think the addition of Panarin has been really beneficial to him because they do seem to have chemistry and they read off each other and they’re both high-puck possession guys and they’ve got a big guy in (Artem) Anisimov, who goes to the net for them. I think the makeup of the line has really been productive for them.”
The Kings dominated the early stages of the second period and held the Blackhawks without a shot until 9:18, when goaltender Jonathan Quick had to do the splits to save a close-in shot by Teuvo Teravainen. Less than two minutes later, Quick got a pad on a breakaway try by Andrew Shaw.
But Quick couldn’t continue to hold off the Blackhawks, who Friday rallied to score twice in the last 1:41 of the third period and defeat the Ducks in overtime at Anaheim. Kane got the puck to Keith, who held off several Kings and passed the puck to Hjalmarsson. The Swedish defenseman unleashed a shot that deflected past Quick, who also might have been partially screened, at 12:56.
Less than two minutes later, Gaborik hit the post behind Darling with a loud clang, and Quick again kept the Kings in the game by stopping a breakaway by Panarin after Alec Martinez fumbled the puck.
The Kings halved their deficit 52 seconds into the third period, when Jeff Carter put back his own rebound. They tied it when defenseman Brent Seabrook overskated the puck, which was pounced on by Kopitar. He fed Gaborik for a short shot.