The Los Angeles Kings are the 2012 NHL Champions, beating the New Jersey Devils 6-1 in a dominant performance to give the franchise their first ever Stanley Cup. They scored three goals in the first period, and the Devils were never able to recover.
Those first three goals came when New Jersey's Steve Bernier smashed into Rob Scuderi and left him bleeding on the ice, picking up a five minute game misconduct penalty. The Kings took full advantage, with Dustin Brown scoring twice and Trevor Lewis adding a third. The Devils spent the entire period on their heels, getting only four shots off on Jonathan Quick.
The second period opened with an early goal by Jeff Carter after a mixup with a lineman hampered New Jersey's defense. The Devils were able to get on the board late in the period, and the teams headed to the locker rooms after the second with the score 4-1.
The third period was tightly contested for the first 15 minutes, but with less than five minutes remaining the Kings put the game even farther out of reach. Down 4-1, the Devils took the huge risk of pulling Martin Brodeur early. The move failed to pay off as the Kings scored, making the game 5-1. Brodeur returned to the net, but that didn't help much as the Kings scored 15 seconds later, leaving the score at 6-1 and securing the Stanley Cup for the Los Angeles Kings.
The Kings were 16-4 through the playoffs, and took out the top three seeds in the Western Conference. Jonathan Quick was the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, with his stellar goaltending earning him the series MVP award.
For more on the Los Angeles Kings' Stanley Cup victory, stay with this storystream and SB Nation Los Angeles. For all things Kings, check out Jewels From the Crown.