L.A. Kings work overtime to win Cup.
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE: KINGS 3 RANGERS 2 (2OT)
LOS ANGELES — Alec Martinez scored at 14:43 of double overtime Friday night as the Los Angeles Kings mounted yet another comeback to defeat the New York Rangers 3-2 and claim their second Stanley Cup in three seasons.
The defenceman wristed home a rebound of a Tyler Toffoli shot to seal the Cup.
The Kings squandered 3-0 series leads both times en route to hoisting the Cup. But they got the job done in five games — three wins coming via overtime — this time compared to six against New Jersey in 2012.
Los Angeles’ remarkable road to this Cup was long and tortuous. It was an edge-ofyour-seat record-setting ride though all-comers that will be hard to beat.
The never-say-die Kings, who trailed by two goals four times in the first two games of the final, proved once again that the third period is their domain. They have four victories this post-season when trailing after two periods. And in mounting the latest comeback, they put an end to New York’s remarkable 5-0 record in elimination games.
The win improved the Kings’ playoff overtime record in 2014 to 5-2.
Los Angeles, which has won 17 of its last 22 home playoff games including six of the last seven, got to celebrate the championship before family and friends at a sold out Staples Center for the second time. They are the only team to clinch at home over the last seven seasons.
Kings forward Justin Williams won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist kept the Rangers in the game for the second outing in a row. The elegant Swede stood on his head for much of the evening, especially when push came to shove.
The contest started slowly and took its time to boil, but finished in nail-biting, adrenalin-pumping end-toend fashion.
The game ranks as the longest game in Kings’ history, surpassing Game 5 of the 2013 Western Conference Final (91:40).
The third period was all Kings as a goal by Marian Gaborik pulled Los Angeles even at 2-2 some eight minutes in. The Kings then came at Lundqvist in waves.
Los Angeles outshot New York 12-3 in the period and 29-15 in regulation time. The shots were 42-25 for L.A. after four periods of hockey and 51-30 when the dust settled.
Overtime was a thrill ride as both teams hit the post and Los Angeles poured it on.
The Kings kept their foot on the pedal in OT, with Lundqvist scrambling to repel the raiders. The Rangers pushed back and went on the power play when Slava Voynov was called for hooking at 3:54. New York defenceman Ryan McDonagh hit the post with a blast from the blue-line.
Toffoli also rang a shot off the post, some 13 minutes in. Lundqvist stopped Williams twice at point-blank range during one sequence late in overtime as the Kings turned the screws.
Then the Rangers mounted two assaults on the L.A. goal before Chris Kreider fired wide on a semi-breakaway.
In the second overtime, Kyle Clifford was called for boarding Derek Dorsett at 5:43. The Kings somehow hung on again, as a Dan Girardi shot clipped the outside of the post and Jonathan Quick make several key saves.
Kreider and Brian Boyle scored for the Rangers in a 3:53 stretch late in the second period — the first on the power play, the second short-handed — as New York clawed its way back to lead 2-1 after 40 minutes that saw just 12 shots on the L.A. goal.
That New York outburst silenced the sellout crowd of 18,713 at Staples Center while boding well for the Rangers, who were 11-1 when leading after two periods in the playoffs and won 39 of 43 games in that scenario including the regular season. But the Kings never go quietly.
Williams also scored for Los Angeles in a game where shots were at a premium — especially for the visitors.
With Los Angeles pressing in the third, Lundqvist made a string of saves eight minutes in to preserve the lead. The Rangers took a time out but were soon under the pump again as Mats Zuccarello was called for tripping at 7:39.
Los Angeles wasted no time taking advantage with Gaborik knocking in a rebound of a Drew Doughty wrister from the point at 7:56. It was his 14th of the playoffs — following a season in which he had 11 goals in 41 games.
The Kings have outscored their opponents 30-16 in the third period this postseason, including 3-0 in the Cup final.
Los Angeles got here the hard way, coming out Friday for the 115th game of its 2013-14 campaign, counting pre- and post-season.
It was the 26th game of their playoff run, matching the single-year league record set by Philadelphia in 1987 and Calgary in 2004.
And they had to go through a murderer’s row in the West just to get to the final after finishing 10th in the league with a 46-26-8 record and 100 points. Los Angeles had to get by San Jose (111 points), Anaheim (116) and defending champion Chicago (107) in one of the most gruelling post-season routes on record.