Post by thedarkangel1975 on Apr 22, 2012 22:10:46 GMT -5
VANCOUVER – Jonathan Quick kept the Los Angeles Kings alive long enough for Jarret Stoll to end the Vancouver Canucks' season in shocking fashion.
Stoll scored 4:27 into overtime, skating onto a loose puck after defenseman Dan Hamhuis was wiped out coming out of his own zone, skating in on a 2-on-1 and snapped a wrist shot over the blocker of Cory Schneider.
Quick made the best of his 26 saves late in the second period, allowing Brad Richardson tied it early in the third period, and Stoll to score the overtime winner as the Kings eliminated the Canucks with a 2-1 win Sunday night, finishing off a shocking Western Conference Quarterfinals upset in just five games.
Quick kept the Kings in it by stopping Jannik Hansen on a 3-on-1, and doing the splits to get his right pad on Daniel Sedin's breakaway with 2:12 left. That allowed Richardson, playing his second game after an appendectomy on the eve of the playoffs, to tie the game 3:21 into the third period.
It was the first playoff win since 2001 for the Kings, who became just the 10th eight-seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed since the NHL went to its current playoff format in 1994 – and the sixth to upset a Presidents' Trophy winner. Los Angeles, which won all three games at Rogers Arena, will open the second round in St. Louis.
Coming off a trip to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season and a second straight Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top regular-season team, the Canucks were knocked out in the opening round for the first time since 2004.
Henrik Sedin scored on a power play with 5:56 left in the first period, and it was almost enough for Schneider, who finished with 35 saves.
Starting a third straight game ahead of Roberto Luongo, Schneider followed up a 43-save, performance in Game 4 by stopping Anze Kopitar on a breakaway at the first period buzzer, and made several more great stops in the second.
But the Kings tied it up early in the third. Shortly after failing to record a shot on their third power play, defenseman Drew Doughty skated wide and deep into the zone, faking Schneider to his knees before throwing it behind him in the crease, where Richardson, a fourth-liner, beat three Canucks to the loose puck, batting it into an empty net.
Richardson hit the post on a round midway through the third and both goalies made game-saving stops in the final minutes, with Schneider stopping Stoll and Trevor Lewis in tight on a 2-on-1 after a turnover at the blue line with 3:30 left, and Quick gloving Chris Tanev from the slot 30 seconds later.
Henrik Sedin opened the scoring with 5:56 left in the first period on a power play that has come to life since twin brother Daniel returned from a concussion for Game 4 on Wednesday night. After going 0-for-14 without Daniel to start the series, the Canucks have converted three of seven chances with him.
After killing off two early Kings’ power plays and failing on their first attempt, the Canucks converted their second man advantage chance after Jeff Carter failed on a good chance to clear the zone. He slammed the puck into Dan Hamhuis on the boards and it bounced to Henrik, who quickly fed across the ice to Daniel and then went to the net for a return pass that left him with an empty net.
Schneider kept it that way by coming out challenge Kopitar as time wound down in the first period, and as the Kings recorded the first six shots of the second, stuffing Colin Fraser alone in tight, robbing Dustin Brown on a rebound, and stopping a hard Carter blast in close that broke the straps on his mask.
Los Angeles got a good chance to tie it on an early third-period power play, but failed to record a shot, finishing 0-for-3 and extending a goalless drought to 16 chances. But Richardson scored on the next shift against a Vancouver team that was 32-1-2 with a lead after 40 minutes in the regular season.
Stoll scored 4:27 into overtime, skating onto a loose puck after defenseman Dan Hamhuis was wiped out coming out of his own zone, skating in on a 2-on-1 and snapped a wrist shot over the blocker of Cory Schneider.
Quick made the best of his 26 saves late in the second period, allowing Brad Richardson tied it early in the third period, and Stoll to score the overtime winner as the Kings eliminated the Canucks with a 2-1 win Sunday night, finishing off a shocking Western Conference Quarterfinals upset in just five games.
Quick kept the Kings in it by stopping Jannik Hansen on a 3-on-1, and doing the splits to get his right pad on Daniel Sedin's breakaway with 2:12 left. That allowed Richardson, playing his second game after an appendectomy on the eve of the playoffs, to tie the game 3:21 into the third period.
It was the first playoff win since 2001 for the Kings, who became just the 10th eight-seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed since the NHL went to its current playoff format in 1994 – and the sixth to upset a Presidents' Trophy winner. Los Angeles, which won all three games at Rogers Arena, will open the second round in St. Louis.
Coming off a trip to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season and a second straight Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top regular-season team, the Canucks were knocked out in the opening round for the first time since 2004.
Henrik Sedin scored on a power play with 5:56 left in the first period, and it was almost enough for Schneider, who finished with 35 saves.
Starting a third straight game ahead of Roberto Luongo, Schneider followed up a 43-save, performance in Game 4 by stopping Anze Kopitar on a breakaway at the first period buzzer, and made several more great stops in the second.
But the Kings tied it up early in the third. Shortly after failing to record a shot on their third power play, defenseman Drew Doughty skated wide and deep into the zone, faking Schneider to his knees before throwing it behind him in the crease, where Richardson, a fourth-liner, beat three Canucks to the loose puck, batting it into an empty net.
Richardson hit the post on a round midway through the third and both goalies made game-saving stops in the final minutes, with Schneider stopping Stoll and Trevor Lewis in tight on a 2-on-1 after a turnover at the blue line with 3:30 left, and Quick gloving Chris Tanev from the slot 30 seconds later.
Henrik Sedin opened the scoring with 5:56 left in the first period on a power play that has come to life since twin brother Daniel returned from a concussion for Game 4 on Wednesday night. After going 0-for-14 without Daniel to start the series, the Canucks have converted three of seven chances with him.
After killing off two early Kings’ power plays and failing on their first attempt, the Canucks converted their second man advantage chance after Jeff Carter failed on a good chance to clear the zone. He slammed the puck into Dan Hamhuis on the boards and it bounced to Henrik, who quickly fed across the ice to Daniel and then went to the net for a return pass that left him with an empty net.
Schneider kept it that way by coming out challenge Kopitar as time wound down in the first period, and as the Kings recorded the first six shots of the second, stuffing Colin Fraser alone in tight, robbing Dustin Brown on a rebound, and stopping a hard Carter blast in close that broke the straps on his mask.
Los Angeles got a good chance to tie it on an early third-period power play, but failed to record a shot, finishing 0-for-3 and extending a goalless drought to 16 chances. But Richardson scored on the next shift against a Vancouver team that was 32-1-2 with a lead after 40 minutes in the regular season.
