After Game 3 on Monday, there is no doubt whatsoever about these Kings' claim to the throne.
After squeaking out a pair of 2-1 overtime victories in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final in New Jersey, the Kings returned home and routed the Devils 4-0. Los Angeles is now up 3-0 in the series and just one win away from the franchise's first Cup, with a chance to close out its improbable title run Wednesday night on home ice.
This one ended in lopsided fashion, but that was only because of the play of Jonathan Quick in the early going. He added the final touches to his Conn Smythe resume with his third shutout of the postseason. Quick stopped all 22 shots he faced, improving to 15-2 with a 1.36 GAA and a .950 save percentage this spring.
Quick and the Kings were at their best when shorthanded. They killed off a huge 5-on-3 advantage in the first when Mike Richards was called for elbowing and Jeff Carter was hit with a high-sticking double minor a minute later.
Undeterred, the penalty kill that has been so strong throughout the playoffs came through again. The Kings killed off all six New Jersey power plays on the night, allowing just three shots in over nine minutes of power-play time. L.A. has now allowed just five goals on 69 power-play chances in the playoffs, a 92.8 percent success rate.
But while success on the penalty kill has become expected, the Kings also benefited from some rare conversions by their own power play. L.A. was just 6 for 77 coming into the game, but struck on each of its chances on Monday. In a span of 2:32 early in the third period, Carter and Justin Williams each scored power-play goals to break open the game.
The Kings actually moved into double digits on the power play, having now converted 10.1 percent at 8 for 79. In one final indignity for the Bruins' beleaguered power-play unit, the Kings even moved past Boston, which was 2 for 23 (8.7 percent) in the opening round, and into 14th place among the 16 teams in the playoffs this year.
The breakthrough on the power play is sure to add even more confidence to a club hardly lacking in that department with the run of its own this postseason, but those goals weren't even needed with the way Quick was playing.
He robbed Ryan Carter early in the second period, stoned Dainius Zubrus on a rebound attempt and turned aside David Clarkson on a 2 on 1 all while the game remained scoreless. That final save on Clarkson lead to a quick transition, and defenseman Alec Martinez finally stuffed home the game's first goal about 20 seconds later as he followed up Dwight King's multiple whacks at a puck Martin Brodeur couldn't quite tie up.
Quick had plenty of help too. Barely a third of the Devils' shot attempts even reached him, with 17 more blocked and another 21 missing the net as the New Jersey shooters tried to find a way around a defense led by veterans Matt Greene (four blocks) and Rob Scuderi (three blocks).
The Kings will be breaking out the ice packs after getting in front of so many pucks, but they made sure the Devils knew they were in a game as well. The Kings were credited with a whopping 55 hits in the contest. Some of that may have been the result of some generous scorekeeping, but Dustin Brown (eight hits), Greene (seven hits) and Jarrett Stoll (six hits) definitely made their presence felt throwing their bodies around with abandon.
Those bruises won't hurt too much after this one, and all the pain will disappear completely if the Kings can get that fourth win to close out their Cup chase. After Monday, that if appears more like a when, and the when could just be Wednesday night with their first opportunity to hoist the Cup on home ice in Game 4.
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