Kings vs Rangers Game 2: Don’t Call It A Comeback — Wait, Do

Third verse, same as the first, everybody. The Kings went down 2–0 in the first period, but went on to win the game in overtime.

This is now the third straight game where the Kings have allowed two or more goals in the opening frame but pulled out the game-winner during extra minutes. At least this one came with some bonus controversy thanks to Dwight King’s goal. Goaltender interference not being reviewable probably worked out in the Kings’ favor in this game, but it doesn’t change the fact that officials should be allowed to consult video on this particular play, especially when it leads to goals.

What’s causing the drama:

The Kings outplayed the Rangers in a number of ways, including possession, though not by a huge margin. Still, as strong as they were even early on, turnovers and losing some of the puck battles meant the Kings have now gone two games in a row where they haven’t gained a lead until winning. Dustin Brown placed his stick perfectly during double overtime, tipped in Willie Mitchell’s shot, and widened the Kings’ lead in the series.

I don’t want to go into too many details about the game here since we cover a lot in the podcast. One thing we forget to mention, however, is that Trevor Lewis had a wonderful shot-blocking moment during a Kings penalty kill, and he did it without a stick. Voynov had lost his stick, Lewis loaned his own to Voynov, and then stayed on task, clogging lanes and eventually blocking a slap shot.

Great, great work there. Lewis even mentioned it in his blog for the NHL site.

What a fun game to watch. The Kings did good work to come back from three different two-goal deficits. Now they head to New York to see if they can battle for some more road wins during the playoffs.