Kings beat Blackhawks in OT, advance to Stanley Cup Final
CHICAGO – When it comes to Game 7, Los Angeles truly is the king of the road.
Alec Martinez scored at 5:47 of overtime, and the Kings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 on Sunday night to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in three years.
Los Angeles improved to 7-0 in elimination games with its third Game 7 win on the road this postseason. It will host the New York Rangers in Game 1 on Wednesday night.
“We’ve battled back so many times this year and so many times in these playoffs, we said, ‘Why not again today?’ ” said Justin Williams, who had a goal and an assist. “It was a total team effort, every single guy here giving everything they’ve got.”
Martinez’s shot went off Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy and fluttered over goalie Corey Crawford, stunning the sellout crowd at the United Center and leading to a wild on-ice celebration for Los Angeles. Leddy and Crawford were hunched over as the Kings gathered in a big huddle along the boards.
“I didn’t really see it go in,” Martinez said. “I know it went off a couple bodies. I just tried to get it through and fortunately it went in.”
Patrick Sharp scored twice for the Blackhawks, who blew a 2-0 lead. Brandon Saad had a goal and an assist, and Patrick Kane had two more assists.
Chicago’s loss means Detroit remains the last NHL team to win consecutive titles - in 1997 and 1998.
“I’ve lost some tough games but nothing like tonight,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.
The Kings became the first team to play 21 games through the first three rounds of the playoffs and make it to the NHL finals. The 2002 Avalanche and 1993 Maple Leafs also played the maximum amount of games through three series, but they lost in Game 7 of the conference championships.
Los Angeles is the only team to play all three of those Game 7s on the road.
“You need everybody when you get to Game 7. You’re not into the individual part of it,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. “There’s always guys that score big goals, make big plays. But you need everybody in your lineup.”
Tyler Toffoli had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who once held a 3-1 lead in the series, only to have the Blackhawks come back to force Game 7. Jeff Carter scored his ninth playoff goal in the first, and Marian Gaborik had the tying goal midway through the third period.
The Kings also got 37 saves from Jonathan Quick in another resilient performance for Sutter’s team. L.A. trailed San Jose 3-0 in its first-round series and was down 3-2 to top-seeded Anaheim in the second round before rallying each time.
“It’s just a great group to be part of,” Quick said. “I feel very fortunate to be with the guys. Obviously our journey’s not done yet and we’ve got a lot of work here coming up. New York’s an awesome team. They beat great teams, so they’re battle-tested as well so we’ve got a lot to get ready for.”
Gaborik, Williams and Mike Richards each improved to 7-0 in Game 7s. Sutter moved to 7-3 in such games, breaking a tie with Blackhawks adviser Scotty Bowman and Pat Burns for the NHL record for most coaching wins in Game 7s.
“This was a tough way to go down. This one’s going to sting,” said Chicago’s Jonathan Toews.