Well Los Angeles fans, the Kings have done it. The boys are on their way to the Stanley Cup final. The series played between the LA Kings and Chicago Blackhawks was far from boring, and most will argue that this was one of the most exciting Western Conference finals in NHL history. There were nine goals scored in just game seven alone.
This series had a different feel to it, as the Kings were playing catch-up in the first two. The Kings were up 3-1 in the Chicago series, and then lost the next two being forced to play another elimination game seven. Fortunately, this was something the Kings were familiar with, and were able to advance as a result. They now improve to 7-0 in elimination games, with this being their third Game 7 win on the road this post-season which set a new playoff record.
To add to the success story of the L.A. Kings this season, this also marks the sixth time in NHL history that a team advanced to play for the Stanley Cup in a game seven overtime. Ironically, the last time a team advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in this fashion was 20 years ago when Stephane Matteau and the New York Rangers eliminated the New Jersey Devils.
But there were still some stats that had to be broken.
For the first time this series, Chicago failed to win despite scoring a power-play goal, and the L.A. Kings Justin Williams was not the game seven overtime hero. So as a fan watching you really did not know who was going to win, making this game so much more exciting.
But the Kings shouldn’t get too comfortable. Home teams this post-season are 1-5 in game seven, however to their credit, the Kings are making their second Stanley Cup final appearance in only three years.
And if you ask me, I believe they are going to take home the cup.
Considering whom the Kings had to beat to make it to the finals, they are too strong (right now) to lose to the New York Rangers. The San Jose Sharks finished fourth in the Western Conference, the Anaheim Ducks finished first, and the Blackhawks are one of the strongest teams in the NHL. On the other hand, the Rangers knocked off the Philadelphia Flyers who only finished with 94 points, a Penguins team that struggles constantly against lower seeded teams in the playoffs, and the Montreal Canadiens, who were playing without their best player.
Long story short, if you were on a hockey team looking to make their way to the Stanley Cup Final, what three teams would you want to face to get there?
The only thing to factor in is that the Kings have played 21 games and have basically had zero down time to recover, while the Rangers have had a few days rest. This final series is going to be nothing short of exciting, with the first game set to take place Wednesday in LA.
Loading ...
Here is what the Stanley Cup Final Schedule Looks like.
Game 1 Wed June 4th – LA Kings VS New York Rangers – 8:00PM EST
Game 2 Sat June 7th- LA Kings VS New York Rangers – 7:00PM EST
Game 3 Mon June 9th – LA Kings @ New York Rangers – 8:00PM EST
Game 4 Wed June 11th – LA Kings @ New York Rangers – 8:00PM EST
Game 5 Fri June 13th– LA Kings VS New York Rangers – 8:00PM EST
Game 6 Mon June 16th – LA Kings @ New York Rangers – 8:00PM EST
Game 7 Wed June 18th – LA Kings VS New York Rangers – 8:00PM EST
Daniel Slanina
Latest posts by Daniel Slanina (see all)
- Top 10 Los Angeles Kings Moments from the 2013-14 NHL Season - August 1, 2014
- Getting to know your future Los Angeles Kings - July 4, 2014
- Why the Los Angeles Kings Locked up Marian Gaborik - July 2, 2014
