So much for being the lowest ranked seed in the Western Conference.
After easily disposing of the top-seed Vancouver Canucks in five games, the Los Angeles Kings one-upped themselves by sweeping the second-seed St. Louis Blues in four games culminating in a 3-1 victory last night at STAPLES Center becoming the first 8 seed in NHL history to eliminate their conference's top two seeds in the same postseason.
Rookie Jordan Nolan of the Kings scored the game’s first goal after which the Blues’ Kevin Shattenkirk scored the equalizer later in the first period. As the first period was winding down, Dustin Brown of the Kings continued his Conn Smythe Trophy campaign with his fifth goal of the playoffs.
After a scoreless second period and most of the third period in which the Blues seemed to take control of the game but were unable to score due to the Kings’ Jonathan Quick’s amazing goal play (he had 23 saves), the Blues were forced to go to an empty net to try and tie the game up with just seconds to spare. The Kings capitalized on a turnover by the Blues at the midline and Dustin Brown scored his sixth goal of the playoffs, second of the game, to put STAPLES Center into a frenzy.
The Los Angeles Kings have reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time since Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robataille did so in 1993.
"It's a special group, and we knew that all along this season," said the Kings’ Anze Kopitar, the Slovenian star who had assists on both of Brown's goals. "Maybe we didn't break out when we would have liked to, but I think we've peaked at the right time, and that's the most important thing."
"You heard the rink today, how loud it was," said Quick, who has a .949 save percentage in the postseason. "It means a lot more to (the fans) than it does to us. It's a great deal, a big push, by us to win four in a row against a team like that. They were great all series long ... but you heard the fans, how loud they were the last two minutes there. It gives you goose bumps."
Dustin Brown said, "I can only imagine how happy Kings fans are right now," who has never played for another organization."They've been through a rough stretch, and to win on home ice, that's huge for everyone in this room. It's nice to see the fans get jacked up as much as they could. They haven't had an opportunity to celebrate like that at home."
The Kings will face the winner of Phoenix's series with Nashville in the Western Conference finals. The Coyotes lead 3-1, with Game 5 in Phoenix on Monday night.
Fans seeking tickets for Los Angeles Kings' games at STAPLES Center for the NHL Western Conference Finals can register at LAKings.com/playoffs. A special presale for American Express cardholders will begin Tuesday. A presale for full season ticket holders will begin at 10 a.m.Wednesday and for partial plan buyers at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
Fans interested in securing tickets for the Western Conference finals and Stanley Cup finals can place a deposit on a full season ticket package for the 2012-13 season online at LAKings.com/playoffs or by calling (888) KINGS-LA.
Be a part of this historical playoff run now!
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