Just about every time the Kings play the Chicago Blackhawks, the talk beforehand turns to the thrilling playoff series the teams played during their dynasty years.
This visit followed suit, even though the participants have fallen off since they combined to win five of the past eight Stanley Cups. Kings coach John Stevens reminisced that their matchups were "almost like a heavyweight bout where you went after each other."
The Kings delivered a big opening-period blow Monday, then spent the final two periods on the ropes. Only Jonathan Quick and goals by Torrey Mitchell, Andy Andreoff and Dion Phaneuf got them to a 3-1 win in likely their last visit to United Center this season.