Kings Defeat Rangers 3-0 In Game 3, Take 3-0 Series Lead
NEW YORK (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles Kings are one win away from reclaiming the Stanley Cup.
The Kings were huge on defense, and defeated the New York Rangers 3-0 to take a 3-0 Stanley Cup series lead.
Jonathan Quick had 32 saves to Henrik Lundqvist's 12 to record his second shut out of the 2014 post season.
"The series is still going obviously, so now we just need to prepare for the next game," Quick said after the game. "We've got a great group. We've got a group that plays for each other.
New York was 0-for-6 on power plays.
Jeff Carter, assisted by Justin Williams and Slava Voynov, scored the first goal for LA with one second remaining in the first period. Carter scored off a 30-foot wrist shot, giving the Kings their first regulation lead of the series.
The Kings doubled their lead off a power play goal by Jake Muzzin, who deflected a fired a snap shot from 60-feet out by Drew Doughty.
Mike Richards then gave the Kings a 3-0 lead at the 17:14 mark in the second period, scoring off an 11-foot snap shot after an assist by Kyle Clifford.
"Just because you're leading the series, it doesn't mean you've won anything," Justin Williams said after the game.
The New York Rangers had the most opportunities to score in the second period, managing 17 shots on goal, to only four in the first. LA only had 15 shots on goal throughout the game, adopting a keep-away strategy after extending their lead.
From the faceoff, the teams were nearly even, with LA winning 25 to New York's 23.
The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs remain the only team in NHL history to recover from a 3-0 deficit to win the Stanley Cup. 3-0 teams are 25-1 in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1939.
The Kings have now scored three or more goals in nine straight games.
When asked after the game what had gone wrong, New York coach Alain Vigneault said simple, "We couldn't score."
Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. E.T. in New York.
