The Los Angeles Kings hosted the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday evening, in search of a big win to get back into the playoff hunt. The evening also featured the debut of center Jeff Carter, who just arrived in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets as a potential boost to the Kings' anemic offense.
In the end, the Kings jump-started the offense on their own. They blanked the Blackhawks by a final score of 4-0. Dustin Brown scored a hat trick and Willie Mitchell added one more for good measure.
Brown's first two goals came on power plays in the first period. He scored at 10:48 with an assist from Jarret Stoll and again at 17:48 with assists by Stoll and Alec Martinez. His third goal of the game -- his 17th of the season -- came at 4:56 of the second period, with an assist by Mitchell. Mitchell's goal was his fourth of the year, coming at 6:49, with assists by Brown and Stoll.
With the win, the Kings now have 68 points, knotting them with the Dallas Stars for third place in the position, and putting them with the Stars and the Colorado Avalanche in a fight for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference.
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