One of the key things going into the series was going to be the factor of speed, the one area I felt the Rangers really had the advantage in. The Blueshirts used that speed to perfection from the outset in game one. New York was flying all over the ice, something that really threw Los Angeles off their games. The Kings haven't faced a team as fast as the Rangers, to this point at least, in the playoffs and it showed. The opening ten minutes of the hockey game were dominated by the Rangers, as they were able to generate quality scoring chances and force the Kings to turn the puck over more than they wanted to.
Those turnovers, and mental mistakes early on, by the Kings would cost them bigtime. The Rangers opened the scoring at the 13:21 mark of the 1st when Benoit Pouliot scored his 4th of the playoffs on a pretty breakaway goal. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty coughed the puck up at the offensive blueline, something that is rare for the normally shore handed defenseman. Doughty overplayed the puck, Pouliot picked up the puck, went in alone and snapped a roof shot over the blocker of Jonathan Quick to give the Rangers the lead. Los Angeles then went to a powerplay, after Mats Zuccarello was flagged for hooking. The Kings were still struggling to get going, with the Rangers taking full advantage of it. Bryan Boyle got a solid scoring chance shorthanded for the Rangers but was denied by Quick. Then at the 15:03 mark, Carl Hagelin picked up a loose puck and drove in on Quick. The initial shot was stopped but the puck bounced off the skate of defenseman Slava Voynov and into the net past Quick, giving the Rangers a 2-0 lead on the shorthanded goal. Both Rangers goals came 1:42 apart.
This isn't the first time this has happened to the Kings, as it happened three times in the Conference Finals against the Blackhawks. In all three of those games the Kings rallied to pull out a victory.
After the Rangers 2nd goal, something seemed to change. The Rangers seemed to take a step back, sort of taking their foot off the gas pedal. Los Angeles started to generate scoring chances and were finally able to break through. At the 17:33 mark of the 1st, Kyle Clifford found a loose puck at the side of the net and fired a wrist shot high over Henrik Lundqvist for his 1st goal of the playoffs. Los Angeles would keep up the pressure but couldn't get even after the opening twenty minutes.
New York tried to get it going again in the middle frame but just really couldn't get any sustained pressure on Quick. Then Los Angeles would strike again to pull even. The goal came at the 6:36 mark of the 2nd period. Los Angeles came in to the Rangers zone on a rush. Justin Williams fed Drew Doughty at the top of the slot and Doughty pulled off one of the prettiest goals of this playoffs. The highlight reel goal looked a little something like this:
The goal was Doughty's 5th of the playoffs, hands down his slickest goal in this post season. This was a statement play from Doughty, who admitted after the game that he had lost his cool after he turned the puck over when Pouliot scored. This goal proved to me and everybody else that he had found his composure and stride again.
The Rangers and Kings each got chances in the 3rd period, but neither team found the back of the net. In fact, the Rangers really struggled during the final period, as the Kings outshot the Rangers 14-0 through the first 11:43 of the third period and 20-3 in the period. Once again, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stood on his head, keeping the Rangers in the hockey game. Sure the Rangers would get a few chances but they were few and far between. Jonathan Quick wasn't really tested late in the hockey game.
So to overtime we go. This marked the 5th overtime game in this playoffs for the kings, who went 2-2 in the previous four. As for the Rangers, this was the 4th overtime game in this years playoffs, going 2-1 in the previous 3.
Both teams had their chances in the extra frame, trying not to make a mistake. One bad play ended the hockey game. Just like the first goal of the hockey game, a turnover by a defenseman resulted in the game winner. Dan Girardi sort of fanned on a clearing attempt. As he did, this happened:
Richards picked off the puck and found Justin Williams wide open in the slot, as he fired home his 8th of the playoffs. Williams has scored big goals like this in the past, he did it last year for the Kings but most people remember his goals in game seven of the 2006 finals as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. The victory gives the Kings a 1-0 lead in the series, something the Kings haven't had at all this playoffs.
After the Rangers got off to the early jump, the Kings had made the proper adjustments and were able to then control play from that point on. Once the Kings started to play their game, the Rangers weren't able to get back to their game and it cost them. New York seemed to shoot themselves in the foot as they took the foot off the gas, allowing the Kings back into the hockey game. If the Rangers want to have any hope in this series, they need to learn from this and keep their pace going for a full hockey game.
Game Two is back at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Saturday night, with puck drop set for 7PM!
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