On Monday night, the Los Angeles Kings shut out the New York Rangers 3-0 in Madison Square Garden, to push the Rangers to the brink of elimination in the Stanley Cup Final. The Kings have won the first 3 games of the final, with the first 2 coming in overtime.
As time was running out in the scoreless first period, the Kings’ Jeff Carter scored with less than a second on the clock, when his shot went off the skate of Rangers’ defender Dan Girardi’s skate, as he laid on his stomach, attempting to block the shot. This was Carter’s 10th goal of the playoffs, which only trials his teammate Marian Gaborik, who has 13 this postseason.
In the 2nd period, Jake Muzzin scored a power play goal for the Kings that deflected off a Ranger again, this time it was Martin St. Louis. Then later in the period, Mike Richards attempted a pass that was blocked by Ranger Ryan McDonagh and it went right back to Richards, who scored the final goal for the Kings.
3 goals was way more than enough for Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick, who played like he did 2 years ago, when the Kings won their only Stanley Cup Championship…so far. Quick made 32 saves, while Rangers’ goalie Henrik Lundqvist saved only 12 of 15 shots by the Kings. Although all 3 goals were of the strange variety, which happens in hockey, but they all still counted.
Lundqvist, who is referred by many as the best goalie in the world, had to decisively outplay Quick in this series for the Rangers to have a chance. Although Quick earned that moniker 2 years ago, with his Conn Smythe winning performance to help win the title. Neither goalie was dominant in the first 2 games, but the Kings scored the overtime game winner in each game, after trailing by 2 goals in each game.
Lundqvist always comes back from off games with great performances, including his 1-0 shutout over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 to win the Eastern Conference Final, after the Canadiens scored 7 in the previous game, but not all their goals were off Lunqvist. I look for the Rangers to win Game 4, but lose Game 5 and the Stanley Cup Final, back in Los Angeles on Friday.
You had to think the think the Western Conference Champion, whoever that might be, would win the Cup, since the west was so much stronger all year. But if the Rangers lose Game 4, and get swept by the Kings, that will be the first time that has happened in the Final since the Detroit Red Wings sent the Washington Capitals home after 4 games in 1998.
Game 4 is on Wednesday, again at Madison Square Garden in New York. Will the Rangers be able to extend the Stanley Cup Final back to Los Angeles on Friday? I hope so, because I haven’t had enough hockey yet this year.
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Sports With Frank Thomas