LOS ANGELES — Brandt Clarke scored twice to help Los Angeles break out of an offensive funk, Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves and the Kings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-0 on Saturday night to split a two-game set.
Warren Foegele, Andrei Kuzmenko, Mikey Anderson and Alex Turcotte also scored after the Kings had been held to two goals or fewer in seven of their last nine games. The six goals are their most in regulation this season, and they won by more than one goal for the first time since a 5-1 victory at Montreal on Nov. 11.
Spencer Knight made 26 saves for the Blackhawks, who lost for the seventh time in nine games (2-5-2). Forward Teuvo Teräväinen did not play after he was struck in the face by a puck in the final minute of a 2-1 victory over the Kings on Thursday night.
Goals of any sort had been hard to come by for the Kings over the last three weeks, but Foegele’s one-timer early in the second period led to an offensive eruption in the middle 20 minutes.
Kuzmenko then got the Kings’ first power-play goal in five games and only its third in the last 12 outings. They are 3-for-36 (8.3%) in that span.
Clarke finished off the breakthrough period by scoring through the screen of Corey Perry, who gave Knight no vantage point to see the wrist shot from the high slot.
Clarke got his second of the night early in the third, followed by Anderson and Turcotte each netting their second goals of the season.
Up next
- Blackhawks: At Anaheim on Sunday.
- Kings: At Utah on Monday.