Marian Hossa’s two goals lead Blackhawks pummeling of Kings

Los Angeles, CA, United States (4E Sports) – Marian Hossa scored twice as the Chicago Blackhawks gave the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings a rude season-debut with a 5-2 victory at Staples Center.

After months of a labor dispute, a brand new NHL season opened Saturday, pitting in the 2010 Stanley Cup champions against the reigning cup holder.

The Kings, who came out of nowhere to win their first Stanley Cup hardware, came in brimming with pride and confidence. Some of the luster surrounding their title-clinching feat vanished when the Blackhawks started to unleash their onslaught, however.

Hossa, Patrick Kane, and Michael Frolik all scored in the first period while team captain Jonathan Toews added another to start the second period, giving the Hawks a huge 4-0 lead.

The Kings were able to make things interesting late though, thanks to a goal by Rob Scuderi at 18:37 of the second period and Jordan Nolan at 9:20 of the third. However, Hossa struck again 15 seconds later to put the final icing on the cake for the Hawks.

Hossa, who suffered a frightening head injury at the hands of Coyotes enforcer Raffi Torres in the last postseason, finally put doubts to rest about his ability to produce again.

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