от blueberryjerry » 27 Дек 2016 05:15
NEW YORK -- Jonathan Quick watched plenty of New York Rangers games on television while growing up in nearby Milford, Conn. ., but it was always a tough ticket to get into Madison Square Garden. Just once before he got on the ice at the age of 12 for an intermission pee-wee shootout, and then Monday night at the age of 28 the Los Angeles Kings goaltender made a much more memorable appearance. Quick shut out the Rangers 3-0 to put his team up three games to none in the Stanley Cup final and one victory away from a second title in three years. "You make one save and then you try to make the next," Quick said with little excitement in his voice after arguably his best performance in these playoffs. "We had a lot of guys that block shots, clear rebounds. Our (penalty kill) was very good tonight, possibly the difference in the game. You just make one save at a time and try to get ready for the next one." Of Quicks 32 saves, two of them stuck out. In the first period he got his stick on a shot by Mats Zuccarello that went off the post and was bound to deflect in, and in the second he extended his paddle to get a piece of Derick Brassards offering that couldve been just what the Rangers needed to get back into the game and perhaps the series. Quick couldnt remember what happened on either one. It was hard for anyone else to forget. "Hes one goalie that can save those kind of things," Kings defenceman Drew Doughty said. "Not to say that we expect those saves from him, but were so used to seeing them because they happen so often that its just normal business." After watching Quick win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during Los Angeless 2012 Cup run, Dustin Brown isnt even in awe anymore. The Kings captain used to look up at the video board to figure out just how the puck stayed out of the net, but now he doesnt even bother. "The best example is playing at the Olympics and seeing other guys react to it and Im just sitting there because Ive played with him long enough and hes made enough of those saves you kind of expect him to do it," Brown said. "Its not shocking by any means. Hes been doing this all playoffs." Quick hadnt been doing quite this in these playoffs. Monday night was just his second shutout in 24 games this post-season, but it was the ninth of his NHL career. His stats during this run -- a 2.80 goals-against average and .906 save percentage going into Monday -- were hardly dazzling, but teammates were eager to give him credit for what had transpired before his masterful Game 3 showing. "All I know is everyones talking about Quickie and hes a big, big part of the reason were here because he is a goaltender that makes big saves at big times," Brown said. Quick did need some help and got it with goals from Jeff Carter, Jake Muzzin and Mike Richards. Carters goal with 0.7 seconds left in the first period stunned the sellout crowd of 18,000-plus in the first Cup final game at the Garden in 20 years. Carters seemingly innocent flick of a shot deflected off the skate of diving Rangers defenceman Dan Girardi before going in off Henrik Lundqvists glove. "I was reacting low and it went high," Lundqvist said. "Its just one of those plays where, with a little luck there that puck ends up in the netting or the glass. Unfortunately, half a second left and it ended up in our net. It was a tough play." That goal marked the first lead for the Kings since Game 6 of the Western Conference final against the Chicago Blackhawks. Los Angeles came back from two-goal deficits to win Games 1 and 2 at Staples Center. "It was a little bit easier scoring first, obviously," centre Anze Kopitar said. "Scoring at 0.7 left the first takes a little bit of wind out of their sails and energizes us." A rash of high-sticking penalties by the Rangers early in the second period didnt help, and Marc Staals led to Muzzins power-play goal. With Martin St. Louis trying to get his body in front of Muzzins shot from the point, the puck instead went off the Rangers winger and past Lundqvist 4:17 into the second period. Fans tried to generate some noise off the face-off, and the Rangers followed with plenty of chances to get back into the game. The power-play unit that entered the night 1-for-8 in the series managed some sustained pressure but came up empty thanks to Quicks brilliance. New York finished 0-for-6 on the power play in Game 3. Asked what went wrong in general, coach Alain Vigneault answered only: "We couldnt score." When Lundqvist was asked what happened, the usually charming media darling fired back: "Better question." What happened in the second period was the Rangers fell behind 3-0 as Richards got a two-on-one with Trevor Lewis, banked his initial shot off Ryan McDonagh and buried his second to put the Kings in cruise control. Despite 15 multi-goal comebacks already in these playoffs, an NHL record, a three-goal deficit looked daunting even as the Rangers out-shot the Kings 32-15 overall because Quick appeared unbeatable. Ultimately, he was. "He was obviously the best player on the ice tonight," Vigneault said of Quick. "Give them credit. They found a way to put the puck past our real good goaltender and we couldnt do it." Marian Gaborik, playing his first game back at the Garden since the Rangers traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2013 deadline, called Quick the Kings "cornerstone" Monday night. Doughty termed him their "backbone" all the time. Monday night was a reminder of that to anyone who forgot how good Quick can be at his best. "I dont think he has to remind us too many times," Kopitar said. "We know what hes capable of. Thats why we love having him back there." Twice in Game 3 he made saves that earn him that kind of love and admiration and a place on highlight reels. At the 12:37 mark of the first, Zuccarello had a no-doubt goal from just in front, but his shot hit the post and then Quicks before going wide. "It was an empty-net goal, and he got a piece of it," Brown said. "That allowed us to get our legs going and not fall behind early." Quicks most spectacular of the night came 10:22 into the second on Brassards offering from the side of the net. A cross ice pass forced Quick to go full extension, and with his paddle almost parallel to the ice he kept it out. "It looked from the bench like the guy just missed it, but you look at the replay and he gets a piece of it," Brown said. "He has a different style than all the other goalies in the league. Hes just quick and he gets post-to-post faster than any goalie in the whole entire league." Now one victory away from a second championship in three years, Quick isnt a strong Conn Smythe candidate this time around. But in dominating against the Rangers on Monday night, he put the Kings on the verge of recapturing the trophy they really care about. "Hes still been very sharp for us and hes been a huge key for our success without a doubt," Doughty said. "Maybe he didnt have to stand on his head like he did in 2012 but tonight I thought he stood on his head." NOTES -- Neither team made any lineup changes from Game 2, which meant that Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr missed his 16th straight game with injury. David LeNevu again served as the Rangers backup goalie with Cam Talbot (undisclosed) still out. ... A handful of celebrities were featured on the arenas video screens, including New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire, late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon and actors Bryan Cranston and Robert De Niro. That dampened the enthusiasm of a crowd that included more than a few people who paid a premium to attend. Tickets on the secondary market were going for over US$1,000. As their realistic chances of making it a series hung in the balance, the Rangers didnt put together a season-saving performance. After falling behind, New York picked up two straight high-sticking penalties that could have been worse had defenceman Marc Staal not gotten away with an extra one on Kings captain Dustin Brown. Staals offensive-zone high-sticking penalty that did get called led to the Kings second goal of the night. With Martin St. Louis trying to get his body in front of Muzzins shot from the point, the puck instead went off the Rangers winger and past Lundqvist 4:17 into the second period. Fans tried to generate some noise off the face-off, and the Rangers followed with plenty of chances to get back into the game. The power-play unit that entered the night 1-for-8 in the series managed some sustained pressure but came up empty thanks to Quicks brilliance. The 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winners best save of Game 3 came just after a New York power play expired, when he got his stick on what should have been a gimme goal for Derick Brassard at the side of the net. While Quick made saves look easy, Lundqvist got a break. The Kings didnt manage a shot on net for more than nine minutes in the second period. When they got back on track, it didnt take long to suck the rest of the air out of the Garden. With Trevor Lewis accompanying him on a two-on-one rush, Richards took an initial shot that hit Rangers defenceman Ryan McDonagh, and the Kings forward buried the second offering to make it 3-0 at 17:14. A record 15 multi-goal comebacks have meant no lead is safe in these playoffs. But Quicks stellar play ensured this would not be the 16th. NOTES -- Neither team made any lineup changes from Game 2, which meant that Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr missed his 16th straight game with injury. David LeNevu again served as the Rangers backup goalie with Cam Talbot (undisclosed) still out. ... A handful of celebrities were featured on the arenas video screens, including New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire, late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon and actors Bryan Cranston and Robert De Niro. . Not sure yet. #livetweetingthegreatuntangle — Strombone (@strombone1) April 17, 2014 Stage three, coping: I feel like I could use a cigarette or something. . Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday. .J. Barea during a three-game shooting slump that was getting him booed off his home court with regularity.GLENDALE, Ariz. - Blake Wheeler scored twice in 15 seconds, Bryan Little also had two goals and the Winnipeg Jets spoiled the season opener at home for the newly named Arizona Coyotes with a 6-2 victory Thursday night. Wheeler keyed a four-goal first period for the Jets, who were in control almost from the start as Arizona goalie Mike Smith struggled early. Wheeler also added an assist, his pass to Dustin Byfuglien for a tap-in from right in front at 12:31 of the second period to give Winnipeg a four-goal lead. Kane Downed The Jets lost winger Evander Kane to a lower-body injury in the win. Kane collided with Mark Scheifele less than two minutes into the game and did not return after being helped off the ice. Kane will undergo an MRI to determine the significance of the injury. Ondrej Pavelec made 26 saves. The Jets, also playing their opener, put 16 shots on net in the first period to eight for the Coyotes. Little opened the scoring 7 minutes in on a 2-on-1 break, taking a pass from Andrew Ladd and shooting the puck past Smith. The Coyotes, formerly the Phoenix Coyotes until rebranding in the off-season, tied the game less than a minute later when Mikkel Boedker took a pass from captain Shane Doan from behind the Winnipeg goal and slipped his shot past Pavelec. Doan has 14 points in 19 career season openers. Byfuglien had an assist in the first period, his 300th career point, before making the score 5-1 with his second-period goal. Wheeler, who led the Jets with 69 points last season, inncluding a career-high 28 goals, scored on a turnaround shot at 11:27 of the first. . Just 15 seconds later, he deflected in a shot by teammate Zach Bogosian with Smith partially screened immediately after a faceoff in the Coyotes zone. The Jets made it 4-1 with defenceman Mark Stuarts goal, which sneaked past Smith between the stick side and the near post. The goal was reviewed and allowed. The frustrated Coyotes served 17 minutes on seven penalties in the first period, including 5 minutes for fighting for Doan, who went after Wheeler in an apparent attempt to fire up his teammates. Wheeler also got 5 minutes. Little skated around the defence of Arizonas Keith Yandle, moving the puck from his backhand to his forehand for a goal less than 6 minutes into the third period, the last one of the night for the Jets. Martin Hanzal scored at 11:35 of the third for Arizona. Smith finished with 21 saves. NOTES: Winnipegs Evander Kane left in the first period after colliding with teammate Mark Scheifele in the middle of the ice. Kane didnt play in the second or third because of a lower-body injury. ... The Jets visit San Jose for their next game Saturday night, when the Coyotes host the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. ... Michael Buffer, widely known for his ring announcing at major boxing events and Lets get ready to rumble! catch phrase, introduced the Coyotes coaches and players during a pregame ceremony. ... The crowd of 17,125 at Gila River Arena was announced as a sellout. ' ' '