CHICAGO – After squandering a chance to win at home, the Los Angeles Kings beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-4 on the road to advance to the Stanley Cup.
However, it was the Blackhawks that got on the board first when Brandon Saad beat Jonathan Quick from a nearly impossible angle to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead a little over 5 minutes into the game. The Blackhawks doubled their lead, while on the power play, when Brent Seabrook’s pass deflected off of Patrick Kane and right to Jonathan Toews who tapped the puck into a wide open net.
Later on in the period, the Kings got on the board after Jeff Carter batted a puck out of mid-air and past Corey Crawford to cut the score to 2-1. The play was briefly reviewed, but the call stood. Almost a minute after that, a loose puck found its way to Justin Williams, who snapped it past Crawford to tie the game at 2.
The game remained tied for all of 12 seconds until Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp broke the tie with a shot that took a wild bounce between the pad and the blocker of Jonathan Quick.
The Kings tied the game back up midway through the second period when Matt Greene’s shot from the point found its way through traffic and to the stick of a wide open Tyler Toffoli who buried it into a wide open net. However, Sharp broke the tie once again with 1:35 left in the period. With the Blackhawks on the power play, Sharp blasted one by Jonathan Quick, who was without a goal stick, to put the Blackhawks in front 4-3.
Midway through the third period, Kings forward Marian Gaborik scooped up a rebound and backhanded it past Crawford to tie the game at 4. Despite a furious attack from both teams, the score remained tied at the end of regulation. It almost seemed appropriate that such a hard fought series would need overtime in the seventh and deciding game to decide a winner.
As the overtime period began, both teams came out firing. 5:47 into overtime, Kings defenseman Alec Martinez fired a shot from the point which deflected off of Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy and Crawford to send the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals and, in the process, stun the Blackhawks and their fans.
The Kings will be making their second trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in the last three years. They will head back to Los Angeles where they will host the New York Rangers in Game 1 on Wednesday night at 8 on NBC.
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