Quick makes 27 saves to lift Kings past Blackhawks

CHICAGO -- Jonathan Quick made 27 saves, and the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 at United Center on Monday.
"We got a win," Quick said. "Tough building to play in against a really good team. You take the two points and move on. We've got another tough building against another good team tomorrow, so we've got to get ready for that now."

Torrey Mitchell, Andy Andreoff and Dion Phaneuf scored for the Kings (32-22-5, 69 points), who have won two straight after a three-game losing streak (0-3-0). They trail the Anaheim Ducks by two points for third place in the Pacific Division, and the Minnesota Wild by two points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
WATCH: [All Kings vs. Blackhawks highlights]
"I thought we had a really, really good start, obviously," Kings forward Anze Kopitar said. "Arguably one of the best periods that we've played this year, that first period. And then second period, find a way to get a power-play goal, give us a little cushion. Third period, you've got to give them credit. They made plays. Could we have played better? Yes, but at the end of the day, we got two points."
Patrick Sharp scored, and Anton Forsberg made 29 saves for the Blackhawks (25-27-8), who have lost nine of their past 10 games (1-8-1).

"It's disappointing," Blackhawks defenseman Jordan Oesterle said. "We came out flat. First two periods were unacceptable on our part tonight. We did all we could in the third period to try to climb back. We put ourselves in such a big hole in the first two periods. It's just unacceptable."
Phaneuf gave the Kings a 3-0 lead at 4:04 of the second period with a power-play goal. It was his second goal in three games since being traded to the Kings from the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 13.

"I thought he was terrific tonight," Kings coach John Stevens said. "Not just the goal he scored. What I like about him as an offensive player is that every time he gets the puck he's looking at the net. ... I thought he was really good in all three zones tonight. He played hard and his presence was really good for us tonight."
Sharp cut the lead to 3-1 at 1:42 of the third period, scoring on a rebound from between the circles. It was his first goal in 12 games.
Mitchell made it 1-0 at 8:31 of the first period, beating a screened Forsberg with a slap shot.
Andreoff extended the lead to 2-0 at 16:37 when he redirected a pass from Jonny Brodzinski in front of the crease.

Goal of the game

Andreoff's goal at 16:37 of the first period.

Save of the game

Quick's save on Nick Schmaltz at 5:59 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Quick's saves on Brandon Saad at 3:11 of the third period.

They said it

"Every game right now, we've just got to bear down right now. We're battling for a playoff spot so every point counts. We've got another big game tomorrow in Winnipeg, so hopefully we can regroup and get ready for tomorrow." -- Kings forward Andy Andreoff
"Every season has ups and downs and different obstacles. These last couple of weeks have been maybe as hard as it gets. But nobody's going to feel sorry for us. You've got to be a pro and keep fighting through it, keeping playing hard every night, and unfortunately, we didn't do that tonight." -- Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp

Need to know

Andreoff has five points (goal, four assists) in his past six games after going scoreless the previous eight. ... Kane skated in his 800th NHL game. He has 807 points (307 goals, 500 assists) in his career. ... The Blackhawks traded defenseman Michal Kempny to the Washington Capitals for a conditional third-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

What's next

Kings: At the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, FS-SW, NHL.TV)
Blackhawks: Host the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NHL-N, SN, TVAS, NBCSCH, NHL.TV)