LOS ANGELES — So now the Rangers have to hope that first blood does not prove to be fatal.
After getting out to an early 2-0 lead, the Rangers slowly collapsed and lost a spectacular Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final to the Kings, 3-2 in overtime, on Wednesday night at the Staples Center. The game-winner came after Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi made a ghastly turnover, and Justin Williams, Mr. Game 7 for the Kings, netted a wrist shot passed Henrik Lundqvist's blocker at 4:35 of the extra frame.
The Blueshirts had won Game 1 of each of their opening three rounds, and although it took them 20 games to advance to the Cup final, they were here nonetheless. And they've run into a Kings team that is the definition of resilient, and will certainly keep pushing for a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series in Saturday's Game 2.
"Any time you get to this stage, always series are going to be eventful and challenging," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said before the game. "You've got a [Kings] team that fought their way real hard to get here, to get an opportunity.
"We've got an opportunity. We're going to try and make the best of it."
The Kings came back from a 3-0 series deficit against the Sharks in the first round and a 3-2 deficit against the Ducks in the second. They've played the maximum of 21 games to get into the final, and were hardly weary.
"We just have to reset again," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "Certainly it's a challenge. You play a fresh team."
The Rangers were getting waxed early in the third period, getting outshot 13-0 through the first 11 minutes.
And yet in the final minute of regulation, with the Kings on a power play, there was a flurry of back-and-forth chances that made for unbelievable excitement.
First, Anze Kopitar whiffed on a backhand in front, and then Carl Hagelin was sprung on a shorthanded breakaway that Jonathan Quick barely stopped, the puck fluttering over his shoulder and wide of the left post.
Jeff Carter then had another chance on a wrap-around – all three chances coming in one fell swoop – and somehow Lundqvist dove and stopped that one, his 20th save on 20 shots in the third. And so the two goaltenders kept game tied 2-2, and brought this tremendous opening game into overtime.
"LA is going to play a hard game," Vigneault said. "They play a high-percentage game with and without the puck. They play that game in all three zones."
The Kings got the game tied 6:36 into the second period, when all-star defenseman Drew Doughty made an all-world play, putting the puck through his legs, dodging defenders, and netting a shot over Lundqvist's glove to make it 2-2.
"We need to limit his time and space as best we can," Rangers forward Brian Boyle had said about Doughty before the game.
Although the first period started rather choppy, things settled down and the Rangers took advantage of a couple miscues by the Kings.
The first came from – of all people – Doughty, who turned the puck over to Benoit Pouliot and sent him on a breakaway. Strangely enough, Doughty's blue-line partner, Jake Muzzin, seemed to turn the other way, and Pouliot raced in and beat Quick blocker-side for a 1-0 lead with 13:21 gone by.
The Blueshirts padded the lead just under two minutes later when Hagelin got a shorthanded breakaway. His initial backhand was stopped by Quick, but the puck went off the skate of defenseman Slava Voynov and in for a 2-0 lead.
The Kings fought back before the first ended, when Derek Stepan couldn't clear the puck out of the Rangers zone, and then Jeff Carter made his second great play in 15 seconds, a tidy little backhand to set up Kyle Clifford to cut the Rangers lead to 2-1 going into the second.
"We know what to expect from them," Vigneault said. "What we have to do is execute to our strengths. That's what we're going to try and do."
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