Carter line continues to dominate as Kings take 2-1 series lead over Blackhawks

The line of Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli combined for five points on Saturday to help the Los Angeles Kings defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final by a 4-3 margin.

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews generated most of Chicago's offense with two goals in the first period, but Los Angeles was the better team as the contest wore on once again after scoring six unanswered goals to take Game 2.

[Source: ExtraSkater.com]

Star Performer

Carter led the way with a goal and two assists after recording a hat trick in Game 2. He set up Slava Voynov to get the Kings on the board in the first period and tied the game 8:08 into the second with this goal:

Carter is on a four-game point streak, with five goals and 10 points in that span. Linemate Toffoli also has a point in each of his last four contests, with goals in his last three, while Pearson set up Carter's goal to extend his own four-game point streak (one goal, four assists).

The line's recent dominance was enough to earn them a nickname based on their jersey numbers (Carter wears 77, Toffoli wears 73 and Pearson wears 70):

Turning Point

Los Angeles killed three straight penalties in the latter half of the second period to maintain a one-goal lead before outshooting the Blackhawks 18-7 in the third. Without saves like this from Jonathan Quick, the Kings could have easily entered the final 20 minutes in a tie - or worse.

Chicago finished 0-for-4 with the man advantage, falling to 1-for-25 on road power plays in the playoffs.

Highlight Reel

Toews caught Justin Williams and the Kings flat-footed on the opening goal of the contest, scored shorthanded:

Toffoli had a step on the Blackhawks' defense on this second-period goal that put Los Angeles ahead 3-2. He flew past Johnny Oduya and Niklas Hjalmarsson before beating Corey Crawford with a forehand deke:

Drew Doughty blasted home the eventual winning goal for the Kings as part of their controlling third-period performance. The goal was necessary since Patrick Sharp scored for Chicago with four seconds remaining in the game.

Legendary guitarist Slash got things started with an instrumental version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" in a welcome change of pace from the usual anthem singers.

The Kings improved to 2-0 when Slash plays.

Quote of the Night

Toffoli is having fun earning a share of the rookie postseason scoring lead.

Series at a Glance

Game 1: CHI 3, LA 1 (Blackhawks lead 1-0)
Game 2: LA 6, CHI 2 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: LA 4, CHI 3 (Kings lead 2-1)
Game 4: Monday, May 26 - 9:00 p.m. ET
Game 5: Wednesday, May 28 - 8:00 p.m. ET
Game 6*: Friday, May 30 - 9:00 p.m. ET
Game 7*: Sunday, June 1 - 8:00 p.m. ET