Los Angeles 6, Anaheim 2
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, May 16, 2014
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Referees:
Wes McCauley, Dan O'Halloran
Linesmen:
Derek Amell, Jonny Murray
Attendance:
17395
By SportsDirect Inc.
Kings 6, Ducks 2: Justin Williams and Marian Gaborik each recorded a power-play goal and an assist as visiting Los Angeles rolled past Anaheim and into its third consecutive Western Conference final.
Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar also registered a goal and an assist apiece for the Kings, who visit the reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon to begin a rematch of last year's conference final. Tanner Pearson also tallied, Kyle Clifford notched two assists and Jonathan Quick made 25 saves as Los Angeles improved to 6-0 in elimination games - and 2-0 in Game 7s - this postseason.
Corey Perry celebrated his 29th birthday with a tally and Kyle Palmieri also scored for the Pacific Division-champion Ducks, who bid farewell to Teemu Selanne as the future Hall-of-Famer skates into retirement. John Gibson allowed four goals on 18 shots before being replaced by Jonas Hiller, who finished with 10 saves.
Williams got things started during a power play 4 1/2 minutes into the game, backhanding his second chance from the doorstep past Gibson. Carter doubled the lead 4:18 later, beating the rookie goaltender with a backhander on a short breakaway, and Richards broke through two defenders to tap in the rebound of Dwight King's shot from the slot with 4:48 left in the first period for a 3-0 advantage.
Kopitar converted a 2-on-1 rush from the inner edge of the left faceoff circle 2:02 into the second to chase Gibson, and Gaborik beat Hiller from nearly the same spot during a power play at 14:08 to make it 5-0. Palmieri got Anaheim on the board less than three minutes later and Perry beat Quick from the slot 3:42 into the third, but Pearson tapped in a perfect feed from Carter with 6:06 remaining to squash the comeback attempt.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The road team is 5-1 in Game 7s this postseason. ... Perry was denied on a penalty shot at 14:08 of the first period as Quick made a successful poke-check. ... Anaheim's Bruce Boudreau fell to 1-5 in Game 7s during his coaching career in the NHL. ... Williams, Richards and Gaborik each improved to 6-0 lifetime in Game 7s. Williams has collected six goals and six assists in his six deciding contests. ... The team scoring first went 26-1 in the second round. ... Los Angeles (6-4 overall) has won three straight Game 7s, while Anaheim (2-4) has lost three in a row. ... Kopitar, who leads the NHL with 19 points in the playoffs, has notched as least one in all but one of the Kings' 14 games.
Top Game Performances
Los Angeles |
|
Anaheim |
Jeff Carter 2 |
Points |
Kyle Palmieri 1 |
Jeff Carter 1 |
Goals |
Kyle Palmieri 1 |
Kyle Clifford 2 |
Assists |
Nick Bonino 1 |
Marian Gaborik 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Jonathan Quick .926 |
Save Percentage |
Jonas Hiller .833 |
Jonathan Quick 25 |
Saves |
John Gibson 14 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Los Angeles
|
30 |
6 |
2-5 |
3-3 |
8 |
39 |
Anaheim
|
27 |
2 |
0-3 |
3-5 |
14 |
25 |