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| LA Kings Game |
LA Kings Game - The Los Angeles Kings eliminated the Anaheim Ducks in the seventh game of their Pacific Division final, 6-2, moving on to the conference final vs. Chicago and moving to 6-0 in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs in potential elimination games.
Every player who scored a goal for the Kings had never lost a Game 7, and are now a combined 27-0 in the Game 7s they’ve played in.
The Anaheim Ducks, on the other hand, fell to 2-4 in franchise history in Game 7. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry fell to a combined 2-6 in Game 7. Bruce Boudreau, the coach that’s never led a team to the conference final, still hasn’t, and is now 1-5 in career Game 7s, his last win coming in 2009.
The Kings were dominant in Game 7, pouring 16 shots on rookie goalie John Gibson in the first period and putting three past in him the opening 15:12 of the game.
Justin Williams opened the scoring on the power plan, collecting a puck in front of Gibson and tucking home his sixth career Game 7 goal in six career Game 7s.
(Yes, three ex-Flyers scoring against Bruce Boudreau, who lost his first Game 7 against the Flyers in Washington.)
Tanner Pearson’s goal at 13:54 of the third capped the scoring for the Kings.
The game marked the end of Teemu Selanne’s magical NHL career, as the Ducks legend vowed this would be his last season in the League. Selanne skated 14:02 for the game and was a minus-1 with three shots on goal. He finished the postseason with two goals in 11 games.
With five minutes left, the Los Angeles Kings fans visiting the Honda Center sang “Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye.” They won three games in Anaheim in the Freeway Faceoff. Williams, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards scored in an overwhelming first period, and Los Angeles beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-2 on Friday night to earn a conference finals rematch with the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago eliminated Los Angeles in five games last year, but the Kings are ready to go long again if necessary.
Game 1 is Sunday in Chicago.
Chicago rolled through St. Louis and Minnesota in defence of its title, while the Kings have played two straight seven-game series, winning six consecutive elimination games.
"It's the playoffs," Williams said. The NHL's best defensive team surprisingly scored four goals in the first 22:02 against Anaheim, starting with the sixth goal in six career Game 7s for Williams, who averages two points per game in seventh games.
The Kings provided ample cushion for Quick, who has never lost a Game 7.
Gaborik scored six goals in the series' four games in Anaheim, giving him an NHL-best nine goals in his first post-season with the Kings. Gaborik, Williams and Richards are unbeaten in six career trips to Game 7, while Carter improved to 4-0.
While the Kings triumphed, the Ducks learned how much they've still got to learn while losing a Game 7 at home for the second straight year.
Boudreau dropped to 1-5 in his six career trips to Game 7s with Washington and Anaheim, losing all five times at home.
For the past few years, the Anaheim Ducks have watched enviously while the Los Angeles Kings evolved into phenomenal playoff performers and Stanley Cup champions.
After five straight wins in elimination games this spring, the Kings won't surrender their postseason supremacy. After a series filled with tight games, dramatic momentum swings and improbable heroes, Los Angeles and Anaheim will finish their first postseason series with one game to earn a trip to the Western Conference finals against Chicago.
Los Angeles improved to 6-1 in elimination games over the last two years with its 2-1 win in Game 6 on Wednesday.
The Kings already won a Game 7 in this postseason, making a merciless rally from three games down to stun San Jose in the first round. Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter cast his team as the underdog throughout this series, but ramped up the rhetoric immediately after Game 6.
The Ducks lost a Game 7 in the first round last year, dropping the final two games of their series against lower-seeded Detroit. Game 7 will conclude an eventful series that seems certain to boost hockey's growing popularity in Southern California. The road team won the first four games before the home teams rallied for two victories.
Kings forwards Mike Richards, Marian Gaborik and Justin Williams are all 5-0 in a Game 7 in their NHL careers, while Jeff Carter is 3-0. Williams, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, has scored five Game 7 goals.
