The Los Angeles Kings were in enemy territory on Saturday night attempting to clinch the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned in Game 5, as the New Jersey Devils won their second straight game and the Kings lost their first road game of the playoffs. The Kings now hold a 3-2 lead in the series.
Jon Fischer at In Lou We Trust has the Devils fan's perspective on the big win:
New Jersey struggled to get into the Kings' end and get set up on offense. Sometimes, they had to go for a dump-and-change. Sometimes, they had problems moving the puck through the neutral zone. Sometimes, a bad decision was made. To be fair, the Kings were very well organized on defense, which gave the Devils problems. However, five games in and you'd think the skaters would know how to go against them. Tonight, only one line seemed to get it: the Travis Zajac line, with six shots at evens. And even they had some problems. that aside, if the offense struggles to consistently attack, then the other team is going to take advantage. The Kings did exactly that for most of all three periods, especially the third period where they out-shot the Devils 9-3. To be blunt, the Devils stole this victory.
The Kings will have one more chance to clinch their championship on home ice, which Los Angeles fans would certainly appreciate. However, if the Kings should drop another game ... things will get uncomfortably anxious for Southern California hockey fans.
For more news and notes on the Kings or the NHL Stanley Cup Final, be sure to check out Jewels From The Crown.
