Scoring in overtime is a thrill unto itself and at 5;47 of the first O/T in Chicago the Kings Alec Martinez’s game winner see’s the LA Kings advance to the cup finals.
Martinez’s shot deflected directly off Hawks Nick Leddy and bounced over top of Crawford in front of a sell-out crowd that was hoping for a Hawks win.
LA managed to improve to 7-0 in all elimination games with its third consecutive game 7 win on the road this post-season.
“We never say die … someone described us as a bunch of cockroaches that don’t go away,” Martinez said.
Scoring for the Kings was Justin Williams and Tyler Toffoli who each had a goal and an assist in the loss who at one point held a 3-1 lead in the series.
Jeff Carter managed to score his ninth (9th) playoff goal in the first period, while Marian Gaborik had the tying goal half way in the third.
With the loss by Chicago this means Detroit remains the last NHL team to win back to back consecutive titles dates back to 1997 and 1998.
Quick managed to pull off an impressive 37 saves who at one point saw the Kings trail San Jose 3-0 in the first-round series, while being down 3-2 to top-seeded Anaheim in the second round.
Sutter moved to 7-3 in playoff games, breaking a tie with Blackhawks (adviser) Scotty Bowman and Pat Burns for the NHL record for most coaching wins in any Game 7 series.
Quick turned away prime opportunities while Crawford finished with 27 saves on the night.
The finale of the epic series between the last two Stanley Cup winners attracted 22,315 that included NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
As it was in Game 5 a (5-4 double-overtime victory for Chicago) the Blackhawks got off to a fast start, only to have the Kings bounce back.
The comeback Kings, who seem to play their best the closer they get to the brink of elimination that saw Carter bat a rebound out of the air and past Crawford at 16:31, and Williams scored his seventh 51 seconds later to tie the game at 2.
It was Williams’ seventh career goal in a Game 7, tying Glenn Anderson for the NHL record.
Williams added an assist on Martinez’s winning score, breaking a record set by Doug Gilmour for most points in such games with 14.
LA managed to take advantage of a bounce to tie it at 3 with 9:29 left.
Chicago wasted a scoring chance when it had 46 seconds of a 5-on-3 PP in the second, but Quick made am exceptional stop on a high-flying Shaw with 2:45 left in the period.
NOTES:
It was the seventh Game 7 of this year’s NHL playoffs, matching the single-post-season record set in 1994 and equaled in 2011.
Robyn Regehr missed his 13th straight game wit due to a knee injury, while Hawks forward Kris Versteeg returned after struggling in Game 5 and scratched in Los Angeles on Friday night.
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