BOSTON —The Boston Bruins defense shut down the potent Pittsburgh Penguins throughout the Eastern Conference final. Then a Boston defenseman scored the goal that sealed the stunning sweep.Adam McQuaid scored early in the third period, Tuukka Rask posted his second shutout of the series, and the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Final with a 1-0 win on Friday night.The Bruins dominated the series and held the high-scoring Penguins to just two goals. Pittsburgh never even had the lead in any of its four losses.

“I think first and foremost, we’re obviously trying to be solid defensively,” McQuaid said of the defensemen. “It obviously feels good. It feels good to be able to contribute that way when you don’t normally.You look at so many great efforts we had from guys. The last 10 minutes of the game, guys were all over the ice, doing whatever it took to preserve that goal.”

Boston will face either the Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings when the Bruins shoot for their second Stanley Cup title in three years.The Hawks lead the Western Conference series 3-1 and can advance to the finals with a home win on Saturday night. If the Blackhawks get there, it will set up the first finals matchup of Original Six NHL franchises since 1979.The Penguins’ season ended swiftly and shockingly as the league’s highest-scoring team got no points in the series from offensive stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

“I don’t feel like they totally shut us down,” Crosby said. “I feel like we got chances, but Rask made some big saves.”

McQuaid scored at 5:01 of the final period on a 45-foot slap shot from the right over the glove of goalie Tomas Vokoun.That unleashed loud chants of “We want the Cup!” from the capacity crowd.

“We were a little sluggish the first two periods,” Bruins forward Milan Lucic said, “and we said, `We have to win a period to win a series.”‘

They did just that.The top-seeded Penguins were trying to overcome both the disciplined defense of the fourth-seeded Bruins and history. Only three teams had lost a series after winning the first three games. The last was the Bruins in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia Flyers.The Penguins felt they were “put together to win the Stanley Cup. That’s our expectation from Day One,” coach Dan Bylsma said. “You’re going to look at this as a missed opportunity.” Pittsburgh was swept for the first time in 47 series. The last team to do it to the Penguins was Boston in 1979.The Penguins also lost the first three games of their opening-round series last year against Philadelphia before being eliminated in six games.Rask was solid again with 26 saves, but didn’t have to stop many challenging shots. His last save came with his glove at the final buzzer on Jarome Iginla’s shot from 40 feet.

“He has been the reason why we’re here,” Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron said of Rask, who stopped 134 of 136 shots in the series. “We just played our game the whole time. We put a lot of pressure in their zone.”

The Penguins had been shut out just twice in their previous 147 games before being blanked twice in the four games against the Bruins. Pittsburgh lost Game 1 at home 3-0.Holding down Crosby and Malkin was the key.

“He is the best player in the world,” Bergeron said of Crosby. “We did a good job with that.”

After the game, a calm Rask felt that shutting out the potent Penguins twice wasn’t such an overwhelming feat.

“Every game starts with zero,” he said, “so you have a chance.”

McQuaid scored his second goal of the playoffs after he managed just one in 32 games during the regular season.

“It’s obviously nice when you can get a little offense from your defense,” he said.

Brad Marchand held the puck along the left boards in the offensive zone and waited for McQuaid to skate up ice. Marchand fed the puck toward the blue line where McQuaid, with no Penguins player close to him, unleashed the winning shot.There was little sustained offense in the first two periods when Pittsburgh outshot Boston 20-17.Bosotn’s Kaspars Daugavins hit a post at 2:56 of the second period during his first appearance in the series. Daugavins replaced injured center Gregory Campbell, who broke his leg in the second period of Boston’s 2-1, double-overtime win in Game 3 on Wednesday night.At 10:56 of the second on Friday, Vokoun made a save with his right pad against streaking Tyler Seguin from the left side.The Bruins got this far by beating the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the first round and then taking out the New York Rangers in five to reach the East finals.Boston rallied from a three-goal deficit in the third period of Game 7 against Toronto just to reach the second round.

“It seems like a lifetime ago,” Lucic said. “Without that Game 7, to come back and win it, if it wasn’t for that we wouldn’t be here right now.”

The Penguins topped the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators to reach the NHL’s final four.

LOS ANGELES—When Bryan Bickell’s shot slipped out of Jonathan Quick’s usually inescapable glove and trickled into the Los Angeles net early, the Blackhawks figured Game 4 might be their chance to snap the Kings’ daunting streak of home dominance.When Marian Hossa’s shot eluded Quick for the go-ahead goal two periods later, the Blackhawks knew they had cracked their foe’s star goalie and the formula for winning at Staples Center.The Kings are teetering in the Western Conference finals — and the Blackhawks need just one more win to topple the defending Stanley Cup champions.Hossa scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Hawks moved to the brink of the Stanley Cup Final with a 3-2 victory Thursday night, ending Los Angeles’ 15-game winning streak at home.

“They were playing so well at home, and to finally break that streak, we’re happy about it,” Hossa said. “We knew about it. We talked about it before the game. We were hoping to break it, and we got it.”

Corey Crawford made 19 saves, and Patrick Kane tapped in the tying goal as the Blackhawks rallied from a second-period deficit to beat the Kings. Los Angeles hadn’t lost in its rink since March 23, including eight playoff games. Bickell had a goal and an assist for the top-seeded Hawks, who took a 3-1 series lead even without suspended defenseman Duncan Keith.After losing Game 3 in listless fashion, the Blackhawks had a solution to every dilemma, from the Kings’ two early leads to the absence of the Hawks ice-time leader and top defenseman.

“We knew our defense was going to step up, and they did,” Bickell said. “We had a good feeling coming in. We had a bitter taste from the last game. They had a big start, but we stuck with it and eventually got it back.”

Game 5 is Saturday night in the United Center.Slava Voynov and Dustin Penner scored for the Kings, who had the NHL’s longest home postseason winning run since 2009. The champs know they are in trouble after failing to hold on to a late lead in front of their Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goalie.

“It’s an incredibly skilled team,” Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi said. “We’re not getting into something we didn’t know. When you turn the puck over like that at the blue lines, with the skill they have, it’s only a matter of time before they put one on the scoreboard. Hopefully we learned our lesson, and we’ve got to win the next one.”

The Blackhawks thrived without Keith, who served a one-game suspension for high-sticking Jeff Carter in the face during the second period of Game 3. Sheldon Brookbank filled in while the Hawks played strong team defense in front of Crawford, allowing just two shots by the desperate Kings in the third period.

“Right from the first couple shifts, we were moving our feet, playing with speed,” said defenseman Brent Seabrook, who led the Hawks with 26:20 of ice time. “We were getting in on the forecheck and making good plays. It was big for our group to come back with a good effort.”

Los Angeles hadn’t lost a playoff game at home since Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals last season, winning nine straight overall. The Kings also had been outstanding when playing with a lead in front of Quick, who stopped 25 shots, but Los Angeles uncharacteristically surrendered that 2-1 lead late in the second period.The high-scoring Kane ending his seven-game goal drought in a quiet postseason by charging into the crease to tap home the tying goal on a rebound of Niklas Hjalmarsson’s shot and Bickell’s deflection late in the second period. Hjalmarsson finished with two assists.After Los Angeles killed a penalty to open the third period, Michal Handzus caught the Kings napping and set up a break with the speedy Hossa, who ripped a precise shot for his seventh goal of the postseason.

“That’s one thing that (coach) Darryl (Sutter) has been hard on us for right now,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. “We’re making too many turnovers, in the neutral zone especially. That was a cause of two of the goals. We made turnovers and they came back down on odd-man rushes and scored. If we want to win, it’s something we can’t be doing.”

The Kings played their third straight game without center Mike Richards, who has an apparent concussion after a big hit from  Dave Bolland in the series opener. Richards was the Kings’ leading postseason scorer with 10 points when he got hurt.Los Angeles’ unbeaten stretch at home ended in unusual fashion with the blown lead, and the low-scoring Kings’ title defense could be over in two days. The NHL hasn’t had a repeat champion since the Detroit Red Wings in 1998, and Los Angeles has managed just eight goals in four games against the powerful Blackhawks.

“They didn’t have many great scoring chances,” Crawford said. “We mostly kept them to the outside. It was great for us to shut them down.”

The Hawk needs one win in three games to advance to its second Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1992. The Blackhawks have been mostly rolling since their 5-2 victory in the season opener at Los Angeles in January, ruining the Kings’ banner-raising ceremony.The Blackhawks hadn’t won a playoff round in the past two seasons since their Stanley Cup triumph, replenishing their roster on the fly around their talented young core.Just nine players remain from the championship team, but it’s safe to say the rebuild is complete for a team that won its second Presidents’ Trophy with a 36-7-5 regular season, followed by a gutsy rally from a 1-3 series deficit against Detroit to escape the second round.The Kings opened Game 4 with the same urgency they showed two days earlier, forcing their way into Hawk zone and preventing the Blackhawks’ usual slick passing. Los Angeles’ fourth line created the first goal just 3:28 in when Kyle Clifford passed from behind the net to Voynov, who skated in alone for a slap shot past Crawford.The goal was Voynov’s sixth of the postseason, extending his single-season playoff record for Kings defensemen.The Hawks responded, easily killing a penalty while holding Los Angeles without a shot for about 11 minutes. The Blackhawks evened it on an innocent-looking play by Bickell, whose wobbly shot somehow got out of Quick’s glove for his eighth goal of the postseason.Bickell is on a remarkable playoff run before unrestricted free agency this summer, scoring a goal in each of the past three games.The Kings went back ahead early in the second period on another strong shift by their newly assembled big line featuring Carter, Penner and rookie Tyler Toffoli, who has taken Richards’ place in the lineup. They also victimized the Blackhawks’ third defensive pairing: Carter drove the net while Nick Leddy failed to knock him off the puck, and Penner swept home the rebound of Carter’s backhand when Brookbank couldn’t move him out of the crease.The Hawks tied it late in the period when Hjalmarsson launched a long shot through Bickell’s screen and past Quick. Kane tapped it home for a much-needed boost for the prolific scorer who had managed just two goals in the playoffs after getting 23 in the regular season.After Hossa scored his second goal of the series, Quick made an exceptional glove save on Kane later in the third period. But Quick and the Kings have yielded 10 goals in the series — the same number they gave up in six first-round games and seven second-round games.

“It’s a loss. They’re all the same,” Quick said. “We’ve just got to win one game. That’s all we’ve got to do.”

NOTES—The Kings lost at home in regulation just four times in the regular season…..Brookbank played only 6:50 and was a minus-2, but coach Joel Quenneville praised his work…..Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown has one goal in the last nine games, none in the conference finals. Top scorer Anze Kopitar has one goal in 13 games, also none in this series. Brown and Kopitar tied for the NHL playoff scoring lead last season with 20 points apiece.

The Blackhawks will be without one of their top players for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday.The NHL announced Wednesday that defenseman Duncan Keith has been suspended one game for his slash on Los Angeles Kings forward Jeff Carter during the Blackhawks’ Game 3 loss Tuesday.When announcing the suspension (as seen in the video above) Brendan Shanahan said it was more serious than a player having to simply be responsible for his stick and that it was not accidental or a defensive high stick to an opponent — it was retaliation. Shortly before the high-sticking incident, Carter took a swing with his stick at Keith’s hand after his glove had fallen off. Keith said he didn’t intend to hit Carter in the face, but did admit to swinging his stick at him.Carter needed more than 20 stitches and had damage done to several teeth as a result of the hit.The Blackhawks still have a 2-1 lead in the series.

BOSTON—Blowout or double-overtime thriller, the result is the same for the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals: a victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins and a chance to sweep the No. 1 seed out of the playoffs.Patrice Bergeron redirected a pass from Brad Marchand into the net at 15:19 of the second overtime on Wednesday night to lead Boston to a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh and a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.With a victory in Game 4 at home on Friday, the 2010 Stanley Cup champions would earn a chance to play for a second title in three years.

“I’m pretty tired, but it’s rewarding when you get the results,” said Bergeron, who had a bruise under his right eye and a cut on his nose. “We found a way, I guess. That’s the only way you’ve got to look at it. It wasn’t necessarily our best effort in the first 60 (minutes). We said we had to find a way somehow, and we did in the second overtime.”

Tuukka Rask stopped 53 shots for the Bruins. David Krejci scored on the Bruins’ first shot of the game, just 102 seconds in, and Tomas Vokoun held them scoreless for 93 minutes, 37 seconds before Bergeron scored on Boston’s last.

“It was very long, very tiring. But we came out with the win,” Marchand said. “We’re obviously very happy, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do. They’re going to come out harder the next game.”

Vokoun made 38 saves for the Penguins one game after he was yanked from the net after giving up three quick goals in the first period. After Krejci, who leads the playoffs in scoring with nine goals and 12 assists, made it 1-0, Chris Kunitz tied it in the second period.It was 1-1 after two periods, and it stayed that way through two more. But 4:41 before the second overtime would expire, Marchand grabbed the puck along the left-wing boards and centered it, where Bergeron redirected it past Vokoun and into the net.That set off a celebration in Boston – the first for the Bruins at home after they won the first two games of the series in Pittsburgh 3-0 and 6-1.

“Five periods is pretty exhausting, as you can see,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “Even though this is a great game, it’s pretty exhausting. I’m looking forward to going home and going to bed.”

It is the first time all season that Pittsburgh has lost three consecutive games. The good news for the Penguins: The last of three teams to blow a 3-0 lead in an NHL playoff series was Boston, which lost four in a row to Philadelphia in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals.

“We threw it at them tonight and didn’t get the win,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “But it’s a race to four and they are not there yet.”

After two Boston blowouts, the Penguins matched the Bruins and even outshot them 39-25 in regulation — including a third period in which Pittsburgh held a 14-4 advantage despite two Boston power plays. The Bruins didn’t muster a shot in the final 7 1/2 minutes of regulation.But they had the better chances in overtime, including Nathan Horton’s breakaway that Vokoun turned aside just 2:21 in, and another shot by Horton that went off the right post with 12:25 on the clock.Pittsburgh forced Rask to make a save with 5 minutes left in the first OT, when Craig Adams tried to poke home a rebound.

“I think the whole game we felt really comfortable with our play,” said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who has yet to record a goal or assist in the series. “I think we felt like it was just a matter of time before we were going to get it. Unfortunately, they … hung around and got one at the end.”

The Bruins scored just 102 seconds into the game when Krejci circled around the net and took a slap shot that caromed in off Pittsburgh defenseman Matt Niskanen. But the Penguins tied it in the second – the first time in the series, other than 0-0, that they have been even – when Kunitz one-timed a pass from defenseman Paul Martin over Rask’s right shoulder.Pittsburgh went 0-for-6 on power plays — including two in overtime. Boston was 0-for-5.

NOTES—Boston is 4-1 in playoff overtime this year. Pittsburgh is 2-2…..Bruins F Gregory Campbell blocked a shot with his midsection on a power play late in the second period. He remained on the ice for a few seconds before struggling to his feet, then limped around for more than 30 seconds before Boston could clear the zone and he could get off the ice. Fans chanted his name…..The Bruins honored Richard “Dic” Donohue as an honorary banner captain before the game. Donohue is a transit police officer who was shot during the Boston Marathon bomber manhunt…..Penguins F Jarome Iginla, a key trade-deadline acquisition who turned down a deal to the Bruins, was dropped to the third line…..Krejci has 29 goals and 39 assists for 68 points in 74 career playoff games…..Pittsburgh had won its last six games in Boston, all in the regular season.

LOS ANGELES—Slava Voynov had a goal and an assist, Jonathan Quick made 19 saves, and the Los Angeles Kings beat Blackhawks 3-1 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night, trimming the Hawks’ series lead to 2-1.Justin Williams also scored and Dwight King added an empty-net goal in the defending Stanley Cup champions’ 15th consecutive home victory since March. The Kings have won eight straight home playoff games, dating to last season’s title clincher, and they never trailed while ending the top-seeded Blackhawks’ five-game postseason winning streak.Game 4 will be Thursday night.Bryan Bickell scored and Corey Crawford stopped 25 shots for the Blackhawks, who chased Quick from Game 2 and earned back-to-back home victories to open the series last weekend. The Kings had lost five of their previous seven playoff games before getting back to friendly Staples Center and their sellout crowd. Quick also returned to Conn Smythe Trophy form in Game 3, highlighted by a dazzling late save on Bickell, while his low-scoring teammates generated just enough offense to hold off the Blackhawks, who hadn’t lost since Game 4 of the second round.Jeff Carter had two assists during an inspired effort despite the absence of injured linemate Mike Richards, and Voynov had his fourth multipoint game in a prolific postseason.The Blackhawks matched their playoff low with just 20 shots, but the Presidents’ Trophy winners were one good bounce away from tying the score in the final minutes.Brandon Saad nearly had an open net after a cross-ice pass from Viktor Stalberg with 5 minutes left, but couldn’t collect the puck. Moments later, Keith missed a near-breakaway at the Kings’ blue line when they went offside — and Quick set off a frenzy in the crowd when he improbably stopped Bickell’s fine chance late.The Kings played their second straight game without Richards, their leading postseason scorer heading into Game 3. The veteran center has an apparent concussion after a big hit from Dave Bolland in the series opener.Richards’ absence opened a lineup spot for promising rookie Tyler Toffoli, who has three points in the last two games. The 21-year-old AHL rookie of the year got the primary assist on Voynov’s goal.After the Kings scored only 11 goals in their previous seven games, coach Darryl Sutter shook up his lines while facing the prospect of a three-game deficit in the conference finals. Slumping center Anze Kopitar, who might be playing with an injury, was moved back to the third line, while Jarret Stoll moved up to the Kings’ nominal top line between Williams and captain Dustin Brown.Between the line changes and the desperation necessary in such a situation, the Kings came out with a noticeable edge and improved passing. They took the lead just 3:21 in on a strong sequence started and finished by Williams, who forced Nick Leddy’s turnover before scoring on a pass from Voynov.Williams scored two goals in the Kings’ victory over San Jose in Game 7 last week, further burnishing his reputation as an elite postseason performer. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has six goals in the playoffs — four in the past six games — after scoring just 11 in the 48-game regular season.Los Angeles kept up the pressure in the second period, with Carter and Toffoli generating sustained pressure before Voynov beat Crawford, who was screened. Voynov’s shot was doubly hard to stop because he broke his stick on the swing, turning it into a changeup.The Kings got a four-minute power play moments later when defenseman Duncan Keith high-sticked Carter in the face, punctuating a bad-tempered game by opening a gash on Carter’s mouth.But Los Angeles managed just one shot on that scoreless power play, and Bickell got the Blackhawks back in it with his seventh goal of the postseason in the final minute of the second period. Bickell was left untouched behind the net after Kings defensemen Drew Doughty and Robyn Regehr both lost their footing, and the pending free agent skated in front alone to beat Quick with just the Hawks third shot of the period.After closing out the second round with three straight wins over Detroit, the Blackhawks kept humming in back-to-back games to open the conference finals, beating Los Angeles 2-1 and 4-2. The compressed schedule due to the Rolling Stones’ tour date at United Center means the clubs will play the series’ first four games in six days.The Blackhawks even got to Quick, who had dominated the first two rounds with the same style that made him the Kings’ first Conn Smythe winner. Quick yielded only 20 goals in 13 games during the first two rounds.The Blackhawks hadn’t been at Staples Center since both clubs’ season opener Jan. 19, when the Hawks spoiled the Kings’ banner-raising ceremony with a 5-2 victory.
NOTES—D Jake Muzzin returned to the Kings lineup after sitting out in favor of Alec Martinez in Game 2. … Carter went to the dressing room for repairs after Keith’s high stick….Patrick Sharp went to the dressing room late in the second period after a big hit from Brown, but he returned to the bench for the third period. … Tom Cruise and Jim Belushi attended the game.

PITTSBURGH—The Boston Bruins keep talking about fortunate bounces and a dash of luck, insisting the margin between themselves and the Pittsburgh Penguins is thin.At the moment, it looks like a chasm.Brad Marchand scored twice during a four-goal first period and the Bruins routed the Pittsburgh 6-1 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.The Bruins and Blackhawks are now both two wins away from a possible Original Six Stanley Cup Finals matchup.

“It doesn’t matter what the series is at right now,” Marchand said. “If they get the next one, they’re right back in it. The next one is the one that’s most important.”

It’s a phrase the top-seed Penguins repeated after losing Game 1 on Saturday night to fall behind in a series for the first time in the playoffs. The inspired play they needed never materialized.Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were held scoreless for the second straight contest to send the NHL’s highest-scoring team slouching to Boston for Game 3 on Wednesday with its season on the line.

“Tonight was terrible, there’s no other way to describe it,” Crosby said. “A loss is a loss. It’s frustrating. You don’t like giving one like that. We really didn’t do a lot of things to give ourselves a chance to win. This one we have to forget pretty quickly.”

It won’t be easy.David Krejci, Nathan Horton, Patrice Bergeron and Johnny Boychuk also scored for Boston while Tuukka Rask stopped 26 shots. Pittsburgh’s top-ranked power play went 0 for 2 and the Penguins were never in it after the Bruins scored three times in 17 minutes to chase Tomas Vokoun.Brandon Sutter netted Pittsburgh’s lone goal. Vokoun gave up three first-period goals on 12 shots before being replaced by Marc-Andre Fleury.

“We’ve gotten away from our game,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. “We’ve gotten off our game plan.”

The Bruins had more than a little something to do with it. Pouncing on every mistake — of which there were plenty to choose — Boston buried the Penguins early. Not bad for a team that needed an improbable third-period rally in Game 7 of the first round against Toronto to advance.In the span of three weeks, Boston has morphed from a team hanging by a thread into one capable of bookending the Stanley Cup it won two years ago.

“Winning that Toronto series created some momentum from that,” Bruins forward Milan Lucic said. “We’ve been able to keep riding that momentum. We need to keep pushing harder.”

Another nudge or two would almost certainly send the Penguins toppling over.Pittsburgh blamed its choppy play in the opener, including a rare fight by Malkin, on an eight-day layoff, stressing there was no need to panic.Might be time to start now.The last 16 teams to go up 2-0 in the conference finals have advanced to the Cup Finals. The Penguins managed to escape a 2-0 hole against the Bruins in 1991 on their way to the franchise’s first championship.These days Mario Lemieux is relegated to watching from the owner’s box. At the moment, the view isn’t pretty.Marchand took advantage of a sloppy play by Crosby to give Boston the lead just 28 seconds into the game. Crosby attempted to flip a bouncing puck back into Boston’s zone. Marchand casually flipped it out of the air, then streaked in on Vokoun before putting a wrist shot over Vokoun’s glove.The Bruins – and Marchand – were just getting started.Boston poured in two more goals to rattle the Stanley Cup favorites and end Vokoun’s run through the postseason. Not that Vokoun had much help from the guys in front of him.Kris Letang failed to clear the puck at the end of a Boston power play and Torey Krug kept it in and fired a slap shot at the net. Neither Vokoun, Letang or Paul Martin could grab it and Horton reached down and tapped it in between a sea of sticks to make it 2-0.

It was a wrist shot for Andrew Shaw, who leaned back and yelled after his first-period score. Brent Seabrook got in on the action, and Bryan Bickell and Michal Handzus added two more goals on consecutive shots in the second.And just like that, Jonathan Quick was gone.The Blackhawks chased the Los Angeles Kings’ standout goalie during an impressive display in the opening two periods of a 4-2 victory Sunday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

“It’s a high-speed game. If we use our speed, we’ll be all right,” Shaw said. “We played our game. That’s the difference. The guys played good. We all competed for each other. We did everything we needed to do, keeping it deep in the zone.”

Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad added two assists apiece as the Blackhawks grabbed a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with their fifth consecutive victory. Corey Crawford made 29 saves in another solid performance, drawing chants of “Co-rey! Co-rey!” from the capacity crowd at the United Center.

“We went through a little spurt there in the last series where we were doing the right things but the pucks weren’t going in,” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “So now we’re getting the results we want. We can do what we’re doing more often. We can do it better as well in the next few games.”

Game 3 is Tuesday night at Los Angeles, where the Kings have won 14 consecutive games, dating to the regular season. The Kings also lost their first two games of the playoffs at St. Louis before winning four straight to eliminate the Blues in the first round.Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli scored for Los Angeles, but the Kings struggled to score without Mike Richards, who was scratched because of an undisclosed upper body injury. The defending Stanley Cup champions have 29 goals in 15 postseason games.

“You’ve got to find a way,” Quick said. “They did their job at home. We’ve got to go home and do our job now.”

Richards, who leads the Kings with 10 playoff points, was sidelined after taking a big hit from Dave Bolland in the final minutes of the Blackhawks’ 2-1 victory on Saturday.Kings coach Darryl Sutter said Richards was “fine” a couple of hours before the game, but the center was scratched from the lineup after participating in the pregame warmups.

“He was fine today, then I think just once his blood got pumping tonight, the adrenaline got going, there were symptoms,” Sutter said. “I went in right after warmup, he was sitting there and I said, `Unless you’re 100 percent, you’re not playing.”‘

Los Angeles forward Brad Richardson and defenseman Drew Doughty gingerly skated off at separate points of the first period, but both returned to the ice.The series took on a more physical tone in the second game in two days — a rarity in the playoffs brought on by The Rolling Stones’ tour.The top-seeded Blackhawks also won the series opener in each of the first two rounds, but they dropped three in a row following their Game 1 victory against Detroit in the conference semifinals.There was no such letdown this time.

“It was frustrating early on, that series against Detroit, but I think we learned a lot there,” defenseman Duncan Keith said.

Shaw got Chicago off to a fast start, taking a nifty pass from Viktor Stalberg and beating Quick on the glove side just 1:56 into the game. Marian Hossa set up Seabrook in the final minute for a low liner into the left corner of the net. The defenseman put the Blackhawks into this round with an overtime goal in Game 7 against Detroit on Wednesday.The Blackhawks added two more in the second, separated by just 2:09. Bickell scored a power-play goal on a rebound in front, and Handzus skated in and beat Quick to make it 4-0 at 9:20.

“We gave them too many Grade-A scoring chances, and they capitalized,” Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi said. “You can’t give up those opportunities and expect your goalie to bail you out every single time.”

The crowd of 21,824 roared after Handzus’ second goal of the postseason, and cheered even louder when Quick skated off and was replaced by Jonathan Bernier. Quick, last year’s playoff MVP who had played every minute of this year’s playoffs, finished with 13 saves.

“We had some nice shots. We had some high-quality stuff off the rush, as well, in that period,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “I still think that’s going to be an ongoing challenge with him.”

Carter converted a one-timer at 18:57 of the second, and Toffoli netted a power-play goal with 1:02 left in the game, but that was it for the Kings.The Blackhawks killed three other power plays and have allowed just two goals in 47 attempts in the playoffs.Crawford was saluted by the crowd after he stopped Dustin Penner on a quality opportunity late in the second, and the chants resumed when he pulled Kings forward Kyle Clifford off Toews during a scrum with 8:45 left.

“The guy grabbed him, got a couple free shots. I figured it was enough,” Crawford said. “I just decided to go in there and grab his head.”

Crawford was one of the top goalies in the NHL during the lockout-shortened regular season, and he has carried that into the playoffs. He has allowed just one goal in four of his last six games.

“He’s the guy we want in net back there,” Sharp said. “He’s proven it in the past. It’s nice to see him finally get the credit that he deserves.”

NOTES—Kings rookie D Jake Muzzin was scratched after playing in the first 14 postseason games…..Crawford was 1-1 with a 3.54 goals-against average against Los Angeles during the regular season.

Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa scored in the second period, and the Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 on Saturday in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.Corey Crawford made 21 saves, and the Blackhawks generated just enough offense to improve to 7-1 at home in the playoffs.Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday at 7pm.Jonathan Quick stopped 34 shots, and Justin Williams scored for Los Angeles, which has won just one of seven road games in the playoffs.Williams has scored the last three goals for the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings. He was responsible for all of Los Angeles’ offense in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 7 of the second-round series on Tuesday.The Blackhawks and Kings returned to the ice after getting through strenuous second-round series.The top-seeded Blackhawks stormed back to beat Detroit after trailing 3-1 in the series, winning Game 7 on Brent Seabrook’s overtime goal Wednesday night. Fifth-seeded Los Angeles was pushed to the brink of elimination by the Sharks in a series in which the home team won every game.For the first period and much of the second of the conference finals opener, the Hawks looked hopeless against Quick and Los Angeles’ talented defensemen.Drew Doughty, Robyn Regehr and Co. kept the Blackhawks’ fleet forwards in check, and Quick made it look as if there was a white wall moving from side to side in net.As they did against Detroit, the Blackhawks began to create more quality chances when they put more traffic in front.With 7 1/2 minutes left in the second, Sharp skated into the zone, left the puck for Johnny Oduya and kept moving forward. When Quick kicked away Oduya’s slap shot, the puck went right to Sharp, who scored into the lower right corner to tie it 1-1 with his eighth playoff goal.Sharp created another strong opportunity a few minutes later, but Brandon Saad shot wide right on a potential tip-in.The Blackhawks kept up the pressure and went ahead when Hossa had a beautiful midair tip on Duncan Keith’s long slap shot at 16:22 of the second. The puck landed in the lower right corner again before Quick could find the puck in the group of bodies near the net.It was the sixth goal of this postseason for Hossa and the 42nd of his playoff career. The 34-year-old forward has at least one point in four straight games.Los Angeles turned up the pressure at the beginning of the third, but the Hawks killed off a power play. Crawford was solid after an early gaffe played a role in the Kings’ goal. He stopped Dustin Penner’s tip attempt with a little more than five minutes left, preserving the lead.Crawford has allowed just one goal in four of five games, playing a huge role as his team rallied to eliminate Detroit.The Blackhawks controlled most of the first period, using its speed and skill to keep the puck away from Los Angeles. The Blackhawks had nine shots on goal before Crawford was tested for the first time, grabbing Penner’s attempt with 8:11 remaining.While Quick turned away every charge at the other side, Los Angeles made the most of its second shot after a couple of costly Blackhawks misplays.After the puck was dumped into the Blackhawks’ zone, Crawford went behind the net to try to clear it away, but Brad Richardson jumped in the air and knocked it in front. Dave Bolland then tried to break up the play, but the puck went right to Williams, who beat Crawford to make it 1-0 at 14:23.Most of the Hawks shots in the first period came from the outside, and Quick had a clear lane for most stops. The 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP made 17 saves in the first 20 minutes.Crawford faced only two shots in the first period and stopped one.

NOTES—Kings C Jarret Stoll returned to the lineup. He has been sidelined with a suspected concussion since he was struck with an illegal hit to the head by San Jose’s Raffi Torres in Game 1 of Los Angeles’ second-round series against the Sharks. … This is the second playoff series between the Kings and the Blackhawks. The Hawks advanced in five games in the 1974 quarterfinals when the two teams played at Chicago Stadium, and the Forum … There was no shoot the puck competition after the second period, part of an NHL mandate designed to preserve ideal ice conditions.