from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,

“Just losing in overtime, that stings a lot, knowing we could have had it so many times,” said defenseman Drew Doughty, who was superb in playing a game-high 39:04 and probably got his longest rest when he spent 43 seconds in the penalty box before Chicago scored its first goal.

“We had the lead going into the third, which you can't ask for much more than that. And to give up a goal like that, kind of early in the third is kind of a dagger. We had opportunities to win. We just didn't do the job.”

The Blackhawks, 8-1 at home during the playoffs, were boosted by a four-assist game from Patrick Kane and a forceful performance by Saad as they prolonged their reign for at least one more game. Coach Joel Quenneville, perhaps borrowing a page from the Kings' playoff-rally playbook, reconfigured his lines to get more balance and got a dynamo in the trio of Saad, Andrew Shaw and Kane. Quenneville also emphasized the need to play the right way, to not open it up late in the game and allow the Kings to knife through their defense as happened in Games 2 and 3.

“We had more of a purpose,” Quenneville said.

When that purpose is extending your season, it's a powerful motivator.

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