Rangers at Kings
After squandering an early two-goal lead in the series opener, the New York Rangers look to avoid a two-game deficit against the host Los Angeles Kings when the Stanley Cup final resumes on Saturday. Justin Williams took advantage of defenseman Dan Girardi's turnover and scored 4:36 into overtime as Los Angeles skated to a 3-2 victory in Game 1 on Wednesday. The tally allowed the Kings to become the first team since the 1992 Chicago Blackhawks to overcome a two-goal deficit in consecutive games during a conference or Stanley Cup final, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"I don't know, it's not a perfect situation," Los Angeles forward Marian Gaborik said of the early deficit. "We can't always get away with this, losing 2-0 right from the get-go." New York's speed played a significant role in that as Benoit Pouliot and Carl Hagelin scored 1:42 apart early in the first period. "For us to win, we're going to have to find a way to play to our strengths. Speed is definitely one of them," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS
ABOUT THE RANGERS: While Girardi accepted the blame for his costly turnover, Ryan McDonagh was quick to note that he left the zone before his defense partner. "(Girardi's) a guy that has been through so many ups and downs in his career, we know he's going to bounce back and be a huge part of our Game 2 here," he said. McDonagh logged 31:12 of ice time in Game 1, but that number should dip as fellow blue-liner John Moore is expected to return after serving his two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Montreal's Dale Weise in the Eastern Conference final.
ABOUT THE KINGS: Defenseman Drew Doughty admittedly rode an emotional roller coaster in the series opener, recording a minus-2 after the first period before scoring a highlight-reel goal and setting up another tally to help Los Angeles rally to victory. "When I get angry, I kind of turn it on," said Doughty, who broke his own franchise record for points by a blue-liner (17) set during the Kings' Stanley Cup-winning postseason in 2012. Williams traditionally has been a pretty mellow fellow, but he has reason to be elated after setting career highs in goals (eight), assists (12) and points (20) in a single playoff year.
OVERTIME
1. All three of Los Angeles' goals in Game 1 beat New York G Henrik Lundqvist (40 saves) to the blocker side.
2. Hagelin led the Rangers with five shots on goal but was denied by Jonathan Quick (25 saves) on a point-blank chance with 41 seconds left in regulation.
3. Kings veteran D Robyn Regehr is expected to make his return to the lineup after suffering a knee injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference second-round series versus Anaheim.