New York Rangers right wing Martin St. Louis (26) collides with Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin. (Photo: AP )
NEW YORK — When things had looked bleakest these playoffs — late in Game 7 in Pittsburgh or in the third period of Game 1 in L.A. — Henrik Lundqvist always seemed to level a playing field tilted against his Rangers.
The optimist's theory was he could do the same against the Kings, erasing their edge in the lineup with his strength in goal.
Through three games of this Stanley Cup Final, Lundqvist still had yet to steal a game or seize a series-defining moment. Not so for opposing netminder Jonathan Quick.
Playing for the first time at Madison Square Garden, the Milford, Connecticut native and former Conn Smythe winner stymied the Rangers Monday night, stopping all 32 shots as his Kings won Game 3, 3-0, to tighten their grip on the series.
Now leading 3-0, the Kings will play for the sweep — and their second Stanley Cup in three years — Wednesday night on Garden ice.
The Rangers' own Stanley Cup hopes appeared to fade with each Quick save Monday night, the best coming on a sprawling stick save on Derick Brassard's rebound try midway through the second that left Brassard drifting to the corner in disbelief.
Then, with his team leading 3-0 to open the third and the Rangers searching, Quick denied Chris Kreider on a break-in off the opening face-off. He was equally brilliant throughout the third, breezing through nearly four minutes of empty-net time.
Quick, whose team was outshot 32-15, left the Rangers to confront an unwelcoming history. Just four NHL teams have have rallied to win a playoff series after trailing 3-0 — one being the Kings, who did it to advance out of the first round this year. But the last such comeback in a Stanley Cup Final came during World War II when the 1942 Maple Leafs won the last four to beat the Red Wings.
Knowing what they were up against, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault barely stopped short of labeling Game 3 "must-win," but his fears were realized.
A raucous Madison Square Garden crowd first felt the doom in the final second of the first period. Jeff Carter beat the buzzer, scoring off a feed from the red-hot Justin Williams with 0.7 seconds remaining before intermission. The puck deflected off the skate of Dan Girardi, redirected slightly and hit Lundqvist in the glove before going in.
Lundqvist watched another puck hit a teammate and sail past him in the second. Jake Muzzin's point shot hit the clutching glove of Martin St. Louis and bounced in through a Carter screen. The Kings made it 3-0 with 2:46 left in the second when Mike Richards beat Lundqvist on a 2-on-1 sprung by Girardi's ill-timed pinch.
Although Quick proved to be the biggest deterrent, the Rangers failed to capitalize on their power play, finishing the night 0 for 5. Vigneault tweaked the power-play alignment, returning the active-but-unproductive Rick Nash to the unit, but to no avail.
Josh Thomson writes for the (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News. Email: jthomson@lohud.com
LATE GAME
Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals ended too late for this edition. For game results and more coverage, visit MyCentralJersey.com/sports.
Read or Share this story: http://www.app.com/story/sports/nhl/rangers/2014/06/09/new-york-rangers-los-angeles-kings-fall-game/10265885/
NEW YORK — When things had looked bleakest these playoffs — late in Game 7 in Pittsburgh or in the third period of Game 1 in L.A. — Henrik Lundqvist always seemed to level a playing field tilted against his Rangers.
The optimist's theory was he could do the same against the Kings, erasing their edge in the lineup with his strength in goal.
Through three games of this Stanley Cup Final, Lundqvist still had yet to steal a game or seize a series-defining moment. Not so for opposing netminder Jonathan Quick.
Playing for the first time at Madison Square Garden, the Milford, Connecticut native and former Conn Smythe winner stymied the Rangers Monday night, stopping all 32 shots as his Kings won Game 3, 3-0, to tighten their grip on the series.
Now leading 3-0, the Kings will play for the sweep — and their second Stanley Cup in three years — Wednesday night on Garden ice.
The Rangers' own Stanley Cup hopes appeared to fade with each Quick save Monday night, the best coming on a sprawling stick save on Derick Brassard's rebound try midway through the second that left Brassard drifting to the corner in disbelief.
Then, with his team leading 3-0 to open the third and the Rangers searching, Quick denied Chris Kreider on a break-in off the opening face-off. He was equally brilliant throughout the third, breezing through nearly four minutes of empty-net time.
Quick, whose team was outshot 32-15, left the Rangers to confront an unwelcoming history. Just four NHL teams have have rallied to win a playoff series after trailing 3-0 — one being the Kings, who did it to advance out of the first round this year. But the last such comeback in a Stanley Cup Final came during World War II when the 1942 Maple Leafs won the last four to beat the Red Wings.
Knowing what they were up against, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault barely stopped short of labeling Game 3 "must-win," but his fears were realized.
A raucous Madison Square Garden crowd first felt the doom in the final second of the first period. Jeff Carter beat the buzzer, scoring off a feed from the red-hot Justin Williams with 0.7 seconds remaining before intermission. The puck deflected off the skate of Dan Girardi, redirected slightly and hit Lundqvist in the glove before going in.
Lundqvist watched another puck hit a teammate and sail past him in the second. Jake Muzzin's point shot hit the clutching glove of Martin St. Louis and bounced in through a Carter screen. The Kings made it 3-0 with 2:46 left in the second when Mike Richards beat Lundqvist on a 2-on-1 sprung by Girardi's ill-timed pinch.
Although Quick proved to be the biggest deterrent, the Rangers failed to capitalize on their power play, finishing the night 0 for 5. Vigneault tweaked the power-play alignment, returning the active-but-unproductive Rick Nash to the unit, but to no avail.
Josh Thomson writes for the (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News. Email: jthomson@lohud.com
LATE GAME
Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals ended too late for this edition. For game results and more coverage, visit MyCentralJersey.com/sports.
Read or Share this story: http://www.app.com/story/sports/nhl/rangers/2014/06/09/new-york-rangers-los-angeles-kings-fall-game/10265885/
