There was a great deal of intrigue heading into Game 6 on Monday and the game delivered, to some extent. It was hard fought, it was surprisingly filled with offense and it was controversial but, in the end, the Los Angeles Kings were crowned Stanley Cup champions.
1) Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings – In a game where the Kings needed their stars to show up, Brown showed up and then some. Not only did he open the scoring on the team’s five minute power play in the first period, but he assisted on two more goals to lead the Kings’ offensive barrage. On top of that, Brown was all over the ice in his 19:23 of ice time, registering four hits, a takeaway, a blocked shot and two shots of his own. To sum it all up, he wasn’t the only reason why the Kings were able to hoist the Stanley Cup at the end of the night, but he was a big one.
2) Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings – Facing just 18 shots on Monday, Quick didn’t have to be spectacular, but he did have to be good. He stopped 17 of 18 shots in the Kings’ 6-1 win and ended the game and the series with the Conn Smythe trophy to his name, living up to at least one-half of the “Vezina Smythe” nickname that was given to him by his teammates.
3) Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings – As if to twist the knife in the hearts of Columbus Blue Jacket fans, Jeff Carter scored twice in the deciding game of the Finals to help lead the Kings to a 6-1 win and score his seventh and eighth goals of the postseason (which, if you’re keeping score at home, is just seven fewer than he had in 39 games with Columbus this season). Trevor Lewis scored twice and Matt Greene once for the Kings, who won their first Stanley Cup on Monday.
MVP of the Night
Jonathan Quick may have won the Conn Smythe trophy for the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs, but his daughter won the Most Valuable Player for the evening after stealing the show in the postgame press conference.
Play of the Night
Dustin Brown scored what might be the biggest goal of his career on Monday, tipping home a Drew Doughty shot to give the Kings a 1-0 lead.
Controversy of the Night
A lot has been made of Steve Bernier’s boarding penalty on Rob Scuderi – especially since the ensuing major gave the Kings a 3-0 lead. Part of it stems from the feeling that Jarret Stoll should have been called just moments earlier, while the other stems from the feeling that the penalty shouldn’t have been a major one. We’ll let you watch the video and draw your own conclusions.
The Cup
Congratulations to the Los Angeles Kings, who won their first Stanley Cup in team history.
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