The Los Angeles Kings jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead and the Chicago Blackhawks couldnt catch them, with the Kings taking a 5-2 decision in Game Four to take a 3-1 lead in the series. David Bakhtiari Super Bowl Jersey . Kings D Jake Muzzin scored the first of two power play goals for the Kings. Playing more than 21 minutes per game in the playoffs, Muzzin now has 11 points, placing him third among defencemen in the postseason. Not bad for a guy who didnt hook on with an NHL club until the Kings signed him during his overage junior season in Sault Ste. Marie. Four years later, Muzzin is on the top defence pairing for a team closing in on the Western Conference title. Muzzin is paired with Drew Doughty, who also had a goal and an assist in Game Four (though his goal appeared to be deflected in by Dwight King) and leads defencemen with 14 points in the playoffs. Game Four was so well in hand for the Kings that they could limit Doughtys ice time; 23:55 was Doughtys lowest ice time since Game Two of the playoffs (after which he complained about his lack of ice time). For once, the Blackhawks didnt get burned by the line of Jeff Carter, Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli, until Pearson scored into an empty net, though Pearson had a team-high seven shot attempts and tied Carter with a team-leading four shots on goal. The bad news for Chicago is that the Kings other top scorers got on track. Marian Gaborik scored a goal while Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams each picked up a couple of assists; Kopitar extending his playoff scoring lead with 22 points and Gaborik leads all playoff goal-scorers, with 10. In their ultimately fruitless attempt to come back, the Blackhawks chances were created by their power forwards. Marian Hossa, Bryan Bickell and Brandon Sadd had nine, eight and seven shot attempts, respectively, to lead the Blackhawks. Saad and Bickell scored Chicagos goals. Chicagos leaders, C Jonathan Toews and RW Patrick Kane, skated together for most of the game, as the Blackhawks tried to shake up lines and it didnt really work. While both assisted on Bickells third-period goal, Toews didnt register a shot on goal (though, immediately preceding Bickells goal, Doughty basically blocked a Toews shot in the crease to prevent a goal), the second time in the series Toews has been held without a shot on goal. The Blackhawks need their big guns to be firing, but they also need G Corey Crawford to perform better. After allowing four goals on 20 shots in Game Four, Crawford has stopped 69 of 82 shots (.841 SV%) in the last three games. The goals against arent all on Crawford, to be sure but, no matter how you slice it, .841 isnt good enough to win. Blackhawks C Michal Handzus played a game-low 4:28, not seeing the ice beyond six minutes into the second period. This isnt the first time in the playoffs that a team, on the verge of elimination, has looked like they were on the way out, and thats the situation in which the Blackhawks find themselves now. More than 90% of teams with a three-game-to-one lead in an NHL playoff series go on to win, so the Blackhawks have a steep hill to climb. But, they can look across the ice and take heart, knowing that the Kings had to overcome a three-games-to-none deficit in Round One against San Jose to get turned loose on this playoff run. Right now, the Kings look invincible, but hockey is a funny game sometimes and if the Blackhawks are better on home ice in Game Five, maybe they still have a way to dig out of this hole. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Jaire Alexander Super Bowl Jersey . Casey Janssen was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday due to a strain in his left abdominal area and lower back. Brett Favre Super Bowl Jersey . -- Billy Donovans bench came up big, bailing out top-seeded Florida in a tight game against what was supposed to be an overmatched opponent. http://www.officialgreenbaypackerspro.com/Kyler-fackrell-packers-jersey/ . HABS HEADED TO CONFERENCE FINAL The Montreal Canadiens scored early in Game Seven, built a lead and protected it well on their way to a 3-1 series-clinching win over the Boston Bruins. While this game or series isnt necessarily a referendum on the value of fourth lines, the Canadiens certainly benefitted from production lower down their forward depth chart.WINNIPEG -- Teenager Kadeisha Buchanan was a star on both sides of the ball Thursday night as Canada tied the No. 1-ranked U.S. womens soccer team 1-1, thanks to her first goal as a member of the Canadian national team. "The future is bright," said teammate Desiree Scott. "Kadeisha Buchanan, 18-year-old, going toe-to-toe with some of the best strikers in the world and she scores a goal tonight. Unbelievable performance." Buchanan said it was a great experience to score but her work on defence was also key to keeping the Americans in check. "Defence wins games and we tried," she said of the physical way she challenged and often beat U.S. strikers such as veteran Abby Wambach as they rushed the Canadian goal. "Thats part of my element." Coach John Herdman said Canadas young back line did a great job and Buchanan has what it takes to be the best in the world at her position. "Shes the (Christine) Sinclair of defenders, shes that good" he said, referring to Canadas top forward. Buchanan scored her goal with a header off a corner kick just before the 35-minute mark of the friendly, and for 40 minutes it looked like Canada might finally beat a team they last defeated in 2001. The 18-year-old Toronto native only made her debut with the national team in January 2013 but has seen 12 starts with Lauren Sesselmann out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Herdman said it was disappointing to come so close and not get the win but he liked what he saw of the Canadian teams development as they prepare for the 2015 Womens World Cup. American striker Sydney Leroux, who was born in Surrey, B.C., tied the game just before the 78-minute mark when she kicked Canadian defender Rebecca Quinns crossing header into the corner past goalkeeper Erin McLeod. It was the third consecutive game against Canada in which shes scored a goal. "She loves big momments and shes come through and shes been fantastic," said interim U. Bart Starr Super Bowl Jersey. S. coach Jill Ellis. McLeod had to make one big save early in the game off Heather OReilly and another in the second half off a header by Wambach. Then the Canadian team had to block a free kick just past the 84-minute mark that could have put the Americans in the lead. American keeper Hope Solo had her bid to tie the U.S. shutout record foiled by Buchanan. The day before the game, Herdman said the crowd could play a role. "Were not going to have 700 shots and 700 crosses, so the fans have got to be ready to really get behind us when we need (them)," he said. The crowd of 28,255 didnt disappoint. The game was also blessed with cool but dry weather, after a forecast that threatened rain, and it was the second largest crowd ever to watch a womens friendly in Canada. "You could feel the energy," said Herdman, who suggested it was a taste of what Canada will offer when it hosts the Womens World Cup next summer. Solo, who also played for the U.S. in the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, is just one away from tying Briana Scurry for the most shutouts in the American programs history at 70. Melissa Tancredi, who rejoined the Canadian team for the first time since she returned to school a couple of years ago to finish her chiropractic studies, got some playing time late in the second half. The Winnipeg-born Scott said she was thrilled to play for the first time in front of friends and family as a member of the national team. This is her sixth year on Canadas squad. "It was exhilarating and exciting for me and it definitely drove me to give a great performance tonight," she said. Buchanan, meanwhile, is also a member of Canadas under-20 World Cup team. The under-20 World Cup starts Aug. 5 with games set to take place in Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Moncton. ' ' '