Kneel Before the Kings
Trevor Lewis celebrates his go ahead goal that turned out the be the Game 2 winner for Los Angeles
Photo courtesy of : http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/los-angeles-kings-beat-san-jose-sharks-4-3-dustin-brown-trevor-lewis-two-goals-final-two-minutes-take-2-0-series-lead-051613
The Los Angeles Kings continue to
prove why they won the 2012 Stanley Cup. Last night in Game 2 of the Western
Conference Semi-Finals, the Kings prevailed after being down late in the third.
Power-play goals from Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis 22 seconds apart tied and
eventually won the game for the Kings.
Game 2 wrap around
LA went up 2 – 0 four minutes into
the second, and looked to be on pace for a win. That's when San Jose took
control and managed a 2-2 tie before the second intermission. A Brad Stuart
slap shot from the point went wide and Marc – Edouard Vlasic tucked it home
past Quick to give San Jose a 3 – 2 lead with 11:04 left in the final frame.
The game stayed that way until San Jose took back to back penalties with Brad
Stuart going off for tripping and Marc – Edouard Vlasic for delay of game
(flipping the puck out of play in the defensive zone). LA took to the 5 on 3
and crowded the net; Dustin Brown tipped in the puck past Antti Niemi to tie
the game with a 1:43 left. On their ensuing offensive drive, a Tyler Toffoli shot
deflected off of Niemi right onto the blade of Trevor Lewis who buried it for the
4 – 3 lead! As the final horn sounded, the scoreboard read in favor of LA, 4 - 3.
Dustin Brown's goal:
Trevor Lewis wins the game:
Videos courtesy of Fred Murtz
The game was pretty even throughout;
both teams fired 31 shots on goal. San Jose dominated in the faceoff circle,
winning 44 of 65. Hits were about even: San Jose laid 31, LA with 38. The biggest
difference was on the Power Play: San Jose was 0/4 while LA was 3/6. In the
playoffs, when a team goes a man up, it is vital to capitalize and the Kings
took advantage of that last night.
Championship
teams capitalize on their opportunities, as well as find ways to win. The Kings
accomplished both tasks in Game 2. When given a 5 on 3 with under three minutes
to go, the Kings scored twice. They do not break in pressure situations and
continue to push and have been rewarded for their hard work in the post
season.
The Build of a Team
LA has three solid centermen in Anze
Kopitar, Michael Richards, and Jared Stoll who can play both sides of the ice
and are great in the face-off dot. On the wing, Captain Dustin Brown, Justin
Williams, Dwight King, Dustin Penner, and Trevor Lewis provide size with a set
of skill. They have a pure goal scorer on the wing as well in Jeff Carter, who continues
to find the back of the net in the postseason! Their fourth line consists of
Kyle Clifford, Colin Fraser, and Tyler Toffoli. This “grind” line can chew up
minutes and play well, which gives Coach Daryl Sutter the option to roll four
lines. On the back end, veterans Robyn Regehr, Rob Scuderi (who’s won a Stanley
Cups with both Pittsburgh and LA) provide leadership and experience. Young guys like
Drew Doughty (who is quickly becoming of the league’s best D man) and Slava
Voynov can shut down the opposition while providing creativity and offense as
well. The most vital player needed for a Cup run is a team's goaltender and
Jonathan Quick has been the backbone for LA throughout the past two seasons. He has shown that he is one of
the most consistent, reliable, and best in the NHL between the pipes.
Last night's win was LA's six consecutive in the 2013 playoffs.
Dating back to last playoffs, the Kings record is 22-6 (16-4 in 2012, 6-2 in
2013). They just do not lose often in the post season and continue to expunge teams
from the playoffs with ease! Check these statistics out:
Last season as an 8th seed:
Kings Win 4 – 1 over Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference
Quarter-Finals
Kings Win 4 – 0 over St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Semi-Finals
Kings Win 4 – 1 over Phoneix Coyotoes in the Western Conference Finals
Kings Win 4 – 2 over New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final
This year as a 5th seed:
Kings Win 4 – 2 over St. Louis Blues
2 – 0 (as of today) over San Jose Sharks
If this play continues, the LA Kings
can become the first team since the 1998 Detroit Red Wings to capture back to
back Stanley Cups. What is scary for the rest of the NHL is that the average
age, height and weight of an LA King is 25.25 years, 6 foot, and 198.3! The
Kings are young, big, and strong and will be a powerhouse in the Western
Conference for years to come!
If Los Angeles can continue to play with this determination, skill, and passion, they may just very well be "Crowned" "Kings" of the NHL again this June! (I just had to add those puns in!)
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment