Lundqvist struggles as Rangers lose Game 5, 5-3 (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 22:20:38 PDT)
NEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers played their best game of the postseason against the New Jersey Devils. Unfortunately, it was a night Henrik Lundqvist played his worst

Devils beat Rangers, on brink of Stanley Cup Finals
(Wed, 23 May 2012 21:44:55 PDT)
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New Jersey Devils let a three-goal lead slip away against the New York Rangers on Wednesday but scored twice late in the third period to claim a 5-3 win and move within touching distance of a place in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

Devils outlast Rangers, 5-3, take 3-2 series lead (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 21:40:06 PDT)
NEW YORK (AP) The Devils turned a stellar first nine minutes and an opportunistic final five into a stirring victory over the Rangers that moved New Jersey within one win of a trip to the Stanley Cup finals.

Wednesday’s Three Stars: Devils fourth line steps up; Watch Prust dive (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 21:17:11 PDT)
The New Jersey Devils, praying harder than John Tortorella. No. 1 Star: Stephen Gionta, New Jersey Devils Gionta led the way for the Devils in Game 5, opening the scoring just 2:43 into the game and then setting up Ryan Carter for the game-winning goal at 15:36 of the third period. And that, my friends, is how you make up for going 0-for-5 in the faceoff circle. No. 2 Star: Ryan Callahan, New York Rangers The Rangers' captain was a difference-maker Wednesday, playing 20 minutes, leading the way physically with a game-high 6 hits, hitting a post, and scoring early in the second period to cut the Devils' lead in half. But was his goal kicked in? No. 3 Star: Ryan Carter, New Jersey Devils Carter scored the winner and was a part of the Devils' fourth line that was the difference in Game 5. He, Gionta, and Steve Bernier all earned praise from Coach Peter DeBoer after the game.

Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Bid Backed by Honest Philadelphia Flyers Supporters: Fan's Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 20:40:00 PDT)
The Los Angeles Kings beat the Phoenix Coyotes in five games to earn the right to play for the Stanley Cup. The Philadelphia Flyers were convincingly pushed out of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the New Jersey Devils.

Canucks give coach Vigneault a contract extension (The SportsXchange)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 15:50:18 PDT)
Even though the Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round this season, they announced Wednesday that they have signed coach Alain Vigneault to a two-year contract extension.

LA Kings conquer West, await Cup final opponent (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 15:21:08 PDT)
LOS ANGELES (AP) The crowd was dozens deep and hundreds wide, screaming and chanting and surrounding the Los Angeles Kings' cars as they drove home after writing another improbable chapter in the big, mostly empty book that holds their franchise history.

Rested and ready, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist remains New York's best player and best chance
(Wed, 23 May 2012 10:38:30 PDT)
The Rangers rarely score more than a few goals, and that's not about to change. But with Lundqvist in net, they've always got a chance to win.

In which Dustin Penner, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards edit their NHL narratives (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 09:00:40 PDT)
Why are the Los Angeles Kings in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final? Because the two drunk, locker room cancers helped set up a lazy fat-ass for the game-winning goal. At least that's how it would have been framed about eight months ago, when the narratives about Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Dustin Penner had defined them as players. The first two were banished from the Philadelphia Flyers, ostensibly for cap relief in the pursuit of a No. 1 goaltender (or, failing that, Ilya Bryzgalov) but mostly for a culture change in the dressing room. Penner, meanwhile, was (a) a waste of salary compared to production and (b) out of shape and (c) lazy to the point where his general manager suggested he might be better off playing for the El Cid Lounge in a men's softball league . In overtime of Game 5 in the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night, Richards won the faceoff near the defensive zone. Slava Voynov moved it up the boards, and Penner kept the puck alive in the attacking zone on the forecheck, sending a nifty backhand pass to a streaking Carter. He fired the puck off of Phoenix Coyotes goalie Mike Smith with Richards causing chaos on front of the net, helping to clear the slot for Penner to fire home the rebound over Smith's glove. With that, the Kings were headed to the Cup Final. This trio was maligned and decried for the better part of 2011-12. Yet it was this Dry Island of Misfit Toys that has the Kings four wins away from the first Stanley Cup.

Stanley Cup Playoff overtimes: Historically, when are goals most likely to be scored? (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 07:06:07 PDT)
The Los Angeles Kings did some unpredictable things, statistically speaking, en route to making the Stanley Cup Final: Like going 8-0 on the road, nearly having as many shorthanded goals (5) as power-play goals (6) and beating the top three seeds in the conference. Dustin Penner's Western Conference Final-winning goal was no exception. Pancakes scored at 17:42 of the first and only overtime, and according to the history of Stanley Cup Playoff overtime, that's an exception to the expected. Chris Winchester, a Detroit Red Wings for 35 years and a PD reader, put together a spreadsheet that looked at when goals were scored in playoff overtimes going back to expansion in 1968. From Winchester: I always had the feeling that most overtimes ended in the first 5 minutes or so of overtime.  After compiling the data for every playoff overtime game it turns out that over 40 percent of overtime games ended in the first five minutes of the extra period. I did not calculate the fact that the game may have ended in the 2nd or 3rd overtime, just the time the goal was scored during the extra period. In other words, the following chart doesn't account for in which overtime the goal was scored, but rather when in that overtime it was scored. Via Winchester, the numbers; click here for the much larger, clearer image. Again, take a gander at the full chart here . A few thoughts on this chart …

A tribute to the Phoenix Coyotes’ abundant talent (Puck Daddy)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 05:52:58 PDT)
Although their postseason ended with a Game 5 Western Conference overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Phoenix Coyotes deserve attention for this mammoth effort. It was said they wouldn't show up big in the Stanley Cup Playoffs — yet they clearly did. No one believed they'd round into form — yet they clearly did. It was said they didn't have the assets — yet they clearly did. Alas, they bounced last night, despite becoming a trending topic in Canada. They will be missed. Congrats again to the Phoenix Coyotes and Coach Dave Tippett, who apparently can be seen somewhere in this image. As the Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan once sang: "I will remember you ... weep not for the mammaries."

Kings await Eastern winner in Finals (The SportsXchange)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 02:21:23 PDT)
After a 19-year wait, the Los Angeles Kings have returned to a land last traversed by Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, Kelly Hrudey and pals: the Stanley Cup Finals.

Kings edge Coyotes 4-3 in overtime to win West (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 01:13:43 PDT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) A great road playoff run has the Los Angeles Kings in a place they haven't been since the Great One was skating in Southern California.

Kings advance to Stanley Cup final with OT goal just seconds after Dustin Brown's controversial hit
(Wed, 23 May 2012 01:12:45 PDT)
Dustin Brown delivered a borderline bodycheck on Michal Rozsival that enraged the Coyotes and might result in a call from the league for the Kings captain.

Coyotes’ Mike Smith believes Dustin Brown should be ‘done forever’ for Rozsival hit; slams Game 5 officiating (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 23:10:50 PDT)
Mike Smith was frustrated after his Phoenix Coyotes were eliminated in Game 5 of the Western Conference final. He saw his MVP performance fall short of the Stanley Cup Final. His gaffe led to a Los Angeles Kings goal. And at one point, he had to play without a glove. Whether or not that earns him leeway is up to you. Just keep that in mind as you read Smith torching the officiating and calling for Dustin Brown to receive a massive suspension for his OT hit on Michal Rozsival. First, on Brown ( s/t Jared Cohen ), Smith said: "When Brown gets away with something like that after the whistle — knee on knee, that's a dangerous play. If Raffi Torres gets 25 games for his hit during the play, this guy should be done forever." Forever seems like a long time for a hit that was thigh-on-thigh. But Smith also had very harsh words for the referees — both in Game 5 and throughout the season.

Kings cruise into Stanley Cup finals
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:56:40 PDT)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Kings booked their place in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in almost 20 years after wrapping up the NHL Western Conference title with a 4-3 overtime win over Phoenix in Game Five on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s Three Stars: Penner’s overtime winner puts Kings in the Final (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:50:33 PDT)
No. 1 Star: Dustin Penner, Los Angeles Kings Penner's 2-point night gave him 10 points this postseason, a career best for him. His assist set up Mike Richards' goal in the second period, but it was his own goal that gave the Kings a 4-3 overtime victory to put them into the Stanley Cup Final: No. 2 Star: Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings Quick stood tall making 38 saves as the Kings won their eighth straight road game in the playoffs becoming the first team to reach the Final doing so, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He came up big early in the first period with this save on Radim Vrbata: No. 3 Star: Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings Doughty's two points were involved in tying goals early in the game. His assist in the first period helped set up Anze Kopitar's shorthanded tally, while his goal midway through the second period tied the game 2-2.

Mike Milbury vs. Jeremy Roenick over Dustin Brown’s Game 5 OT hit on Michal Rozsival (VIDEO) (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:30:42 PDT)
The Los Angeles Kings are skating to the Stanley Cup Final, but the story after Game 5 of the Western Conference Final was the hit Dustin Brown put on Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Michal Rozsival right after an offside whistle — on the shift preceding Dustin Penner's series-winning goal in overtime. Was it a penalty? Should it be a suspension? NBC Sports Network's Mike Milbury and Jeremy Roenick saw this one in slightly different ways. To summarize: Milbury felt the hit by Brown, a player with a reputation for playing "on the edge," was well after the whistle and should have been avoided. Roenick felt it was humanly impossible to avoid the hit at that velocity, and that it was a clean hit. Said Brown after the game: "He's trying to get away of the way, and I'm trying to finish my check. I didn't stick my knee out."

Watch Kings, Coyotes in hostile handshake line after Dustin Penner sends LA to Stanley Cup Final (VIDEO) (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:00:10 PDT)
For a team that's gone from punchline to champion, Dustin Penner was the perfect player to send the Los Angeles Kings to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. His goal at 17:42 of overtime gave the Kings a 4-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 5, and L.A. heads to the Cup Final for the first time since 1993. But after the Kings' celebration, the real drama started: The most contentious, hostile handshake line in recent memory, as the Coyotes players verbally assailed Kings captain Dustin Brown, whose controversial hit took out defenseman Michal Rozsival moments before Penner's goal with no penalty called: Here's another look at the handshake line:

Kings vs. Coyotes Game 5; Pierre McGuire on Tortorella/DeBoer argument (Playoff Puck Previews) (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 16:02:01 PDT)
Back by popular demand, here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished. In which timelines collide and coaches from four different teams yell at each other about goonery. whilst Pierre McGuire — whom we suspect may be an exiled Time Lord — watches on. We'd love a velvet painting of this. [via reader Tony Vela] Game 5 Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Phoenix Coyotes, 9 p.m. EST. (Kings lead, 3-1) The Coyotes face elimination again, as the Kings take their undefeated (7-0) show on the road. The first goal looms mighty big in this game, as Shane Doan told LA Kings Insider: "I think it just calms (teams) down to a certain degree, so they know we're doing things right, things are going your way. I think confidence is everything in the playoffs, just because everyone is so, so close. With everyone being that close, feeling confident is big." Check out previews and updated scores for all of today's games on the Y! Sports NHL scores and scheds page . For tonight's starting goalies, check out Left Wing Lock. Evening Reading • Listen to today's Marek Vs. Wyshynski here. In which we discuss a Pete DeBoer/John Tortorella barn fight.

Coyotes vs. the road warriors: Can Phoenix end LA Kings’ road domination? (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 13:38:44 PDT)
Down 3-1 in their series with the Los Angeles Kings and heading home for Game 5 on Tuesday night, the Phoenix Coyotes will have to accomplish something that hasn't been done since the final two games of the regular season: Giving the Kings consecutive losses. In staying alive in the series with a 2-0 win in Game 4, the Coyotes found a way to break through Los Angeles' relentless forecheck. They kept the Kings off the scoreboard for the first time since late March. Facing such a deficit in the series, the obvious "one game at a time" cliche has and will continue to be broken out by the Coyotes should they extend things. "We're in the same boat we were the other night," said Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett. "If we don't play well and we don't win, we go home."

Coyotes, Kings Game 5 preview; Claude Giroux has fun; PK Subban on the ladies (Puck Headlines) (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 13:06:20 PDT)
Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. • Claude Giroux's beer pong adventures are rightfully getting attention on this lovely Tuesday, but it's the double-casted topless cornholing that we're sure a segment of our readership is more interested in. Playoffs leading scorer indeed. [ Crossing Broad ] • In case you missed it, the Los Angeles Kings' snarky infographic about being confused with the Sacramento Kings was hilarious. [ Kings ] • PK and Malcolm Subban talk race and hockey with Complex. And also, the ladies. Who "pulls the most ladies" in the Subban family? PK says: "Wow, well definitely me. I'm the oldest, I have the most experience, and I'm the best looking. I've been told that on numerous occasions, numerous. Now that doesn't take anything away from my brothers, Malcolm is good looking and Jordan's a good looking guy, too. I mean they are related to me so they get a little bit of the looks. But right now I have to say I have the most experience. I'm a veteran when it comes to that, they're still learning. They have lots of potential. They're like first-round picks right now in the game, they still have to develop." [ Complex ] • Coach Bob Hartley's Zurich Lions are ready to bid him adieu as he returns to the NHL. [ Swiss Habs ] • Speaking of the Lions, that's where Ryan Shannon of the Tampa Bay Lightning will be for the next three years. [ SB Nation ] • What kind of grade would Ville Leino receive for his effort with the Buffalo Sabres? [ Die By The Blade ] • In which Shane Doan compares the Phoenix Coyotes' plight to Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail. [ Arizona Sports ] • This is so strange: An entire column written about embellishment in the playoffs and how it needs to stop, without a single mention of Mike Smith's flopping. Oh, Arizona Republic you say? Well then. [ AZCentral ] • Look, we don't like to judge, but embezzling $144,000 from a Youth Hockey Association is a sort of [expletived] up. [ Cap Times ]

Stanley Cup Final schedule released; Game 1 on May 30, Game 7 would be June 13 (Puck Daddy)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 12:34:17 PDT)
Now that Los Angeles is a hockey town , the NHL was able to release its 2012 Stanley Cup Final schedule, despite none of the participants having yet been determined. From the NHL: Based on their superior regular-season point totals, either the New York Rangers or the New Jersey Devils will host Games One and Two of the best-of-seven Final, as well as Games Five and Seven.  Games Three and Four will be hosted by the Western Conference champion, either the Phoenix Coyotes or the Los Angeles Kings, as well as Game Six. In the U.S., NBC will broadcast Games One and Two and, if necessary, Games Five through Seven of the Final, while NBC Sports Network will telecast Games Three and Four.  In Canada, CBC and RDS will televise the entire series.  All games also will be carried on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. 2012 Stanley Cup Final Schedule Game 1: Wed., May 30, 8 p.m. Western Champion at Eastern Champion, NBC, CBC, RDS Game 2: Sat., June 2, 8 p.m. Western Champion at Eastern Champion, NBC, CBC, RDS Game 3: Mon., June 4, 8 p.m. Eastern Champion at Western Champion, NBCSN, CBC, RDS Game 4: Wed., June 6, 8 p.m. Eastern Champion at Western Champion, NBCSN, CBC, RDS *Game 5: Sat., June 9, 8 p.m. Western Champion at Eastern Champion, NBC, CBC, RDS *Game 6: Mon., June 11, 8 p.m. Eastern Champion at Western Champion, NBC, CBC, RDS *Game 7: Wed., June 13, 8 p.m. Western Champion at Eastern Champion, NBC, CBC, RDS * If necessary Steve Whyno of the Washington Times notes that Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final would start roughly 90 minutes after I'll Have Another attempts to win the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes. Both the Mets and Yankees are on the road on June 13 for a potential Game 7. The city and/or Jersey is the NHL's to dominate!

Kings-Coyotes Preview (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 08:38:11 PDT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) The Phoenix Coyotes had every reason to concede the Western Conference finals to the Los Angeles Kings.