The L.A. Kings got off to a fast start in Friday’s Game 7 showdown. Too fast for their opponents, the Anaheim Ducks.
The Kings worked up a 3-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes, on goals from Justin Williams - we’ve talked about him and his Game 7 prowess a lot, haven’t we? - Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. The Ducks, well, they couldn’t get much of anything going in the offensive end, except for a Corey Perry penalty shot attempt that was thwarted by Jonathan Quick.
And as soon as this game had started, it was essentially over. We’ve seen comebacks before in these playoffs. Not tonight. And the Kings kept pushing, chasing rookie goalie John Gibson from the Anaheim net in the second period and eventually winning this game and the series.
By the sounds of it - and by the looks of it, too - the Ducks simply weren’t prepared for this game.
“I think we were individually and collectively blown away by what they were doing,” said Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau, as per Curtis Zupke of NHL.com.
“That first period was like men against boys, quite frankly. They were bigger, stronger faster, seemed more determined,” he added.
And with that, the Kings advance back to the Western Conference Final for the third consecutive year. That’s impressive.
Added Boudreau, as per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press: I want to give the Los Angeles Kings a little bit of credit. They played like Stanley Cup champions.”