The Stanley Cup finals standings has the LA Kings up 1-0 in the series after winning in overtime 3-2 with a goal from Justin Williams against the Rangers at the Staples Center and now the series is in favor of Los Angeles heading into Game 2 and that will be in LA on Saturday night at 7:15 pm ET after the Belmont Stakes on NBC.
Williams is a winner and has the record for points in Game 7's and he won Stanley Cup finals Game 1 with a goal on Henrik Lundqvist and now the Rangers must rally to win. The team that wins Game 1 takes the series 77 percent of the time and now Los Angeles will take that momentum into Game 2. The Rangers started off strong, but the Kings scored three straight goals after they got two in the first period, including a beauty from Drew Doughty.
The Kings got goals from Doughty, Clifford and Justin Williams to win the game and now the Rangers must find a way to bounce back. The loss is a tough one, especially after the Rangers took an early lead and now they will come in down one game. The Kings showed more resilience and they are the most battle tested team in the league and the Rangers need to win Game 2 for any chance of winning the series.
The first period saw the Rangers start off fast with two goals before the Kings answered back and that opened up the Stanley Cup finals with the first goals of the series. The Rangers kicked things off with a breakaway goal from Benoit Pouliot on a play that he created after generating a turnover and he slipped one by goalie Jonathan Quick on the left side to give the team a 1-0 lead in the game. The Rangers played fast and aggressive in the first period and it paid off after a penalty from Mats Zuccarello, as Carl Hagelin used his speed to score a shorthanded goal on Quick with assists from Brian Boyle and Ryan McDonagh.