Los Angeles 6, New Jersey 1
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, June 11, 2012
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Referees:
Chris Rooney, Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen:
Pierre Racicot, Jean Morin
Attendance:
18858
By SportsDirect Inc.
KINGS 6, DEVILS 1: Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter and Trevor Lewis scored first-period goals - all on the same five-minute power play - and host Los Angeles cruised from there to claim its first Stanley Cup championship.
Jonathan Quick preserved the win with 17 saves as the eighth-seeded Kings ended an incredible playoff run in style, winning the championship in their second Stanley Cup finals appearance while ending a 45-year drought. Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
A early major penalty to Devils forward Steve Bernier decided this one as the Kings broke the game open early to finish off New Jersey in six games. The victory capped a 16-4 playoff performance by Los Angeles, which became the lowest-seeded club to win the Cup.
Following a conservative opening, the complexion of the game turned midway through the first period after Bernier drilled Rob Scuderi into the end boards as the Los Angeles defenseman was facing the glass. A bloodied Scuderi was helped off the ice while Bernier was given a boarding major and a game misconduct.
Los Angeles took instant advantage as Brown opened the scoring at 11:03 with a redirection of a Drew Doughty shot that beat Devils netminder Martin Brodeur.
Carter, whose arrival from Columbus coincided with the Kings' late-season surge to reach the postseason, doubled the lead 1:42 later. Brown took a short pass from Mike Richards in close, then skated into the low slot and wristed a shot that Carter tipped past Brodeur.
Lewis made it a 3-0 game in the final seconds of Bernier's major, sweeping home a backhand shot after Dwight King lost the puck off the end of his stick. It was Lewis' first goal in 18 games.
New Jersey's best chance of the period came in the final minute, when a wide-open Patrik Elias rang a shot off the post.
Carter extended the advantage early in the second period, wristing a rolling puck over Brodeur's right shoulder moments after New Jersey's Anton Volchenkov collided hard with linesman Pierre Racicot.
Adam Henrique broke the New Jersey goose-egg with 1:13 remaining in the frame, banging home a rebound off a scrum in the Los Angeles crease.
After the Devils failed to muster much of anything for the majority of the third period, Lewis scored an empty-netter to make it 5-1 and Matt Greene completed the rout with a wrister from the blue line that handcuffed Brodeur.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Brodeur stopped 19 shots. The 40-year-old netminder, appearing in his first finals since 2003, hasn't said whether he will return next season. ... Scuderi returned for the start of the second period, sporting bloody gashes on his forehead and mouth. ... Racicot left the game after two periods and was replaced by backup linesman Derek Amell. ... The team that scored first prevailed in all six games. ... The Devils were only the third team to force a sixth game after falling behind 3-0 in the Stanley Cup finals. The 1945 Detroit Red Wings lost in six games, while the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs went on to win the championship. ... Los Angeles is the second California-based team to win its first Stanley Cup title in the past six years. Anaheim won the championship in 2007, fending off the Ottawa Senators. ... The Kings went only 6-3 at home in the postseason but finished 10-1 away from the Staples Center, the best road mark in playoff history.
Top Game Performances
New Jersey |
|
Los Angeles |
Adam Henrique 1 |
Points |
Dustin Brown 3 |
Adam Henrique 1 |
Goals |
Jeff Carter 2 |
Alexei Ponikarovsky 1 |
Assists |
Dustin Brown 2 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Jeff Carter 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Martin Brodeur .792 |
Save Percentage |
Jonathan Quick .944 |
Martin Brodeur 19 |
Saves |
Jonathan Quick 17 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
New Jersey
|
18 |
1 |
0-2 |
6-9 |
47 |
19 |
Los Angeles
|
25 |
6 |
3-9 |
2-2 |
6 |
34 |