Stanley Cup Finals 2012: Los Angeles Kings Can Be Confident Entering Game 5

The Los Angeles Kings missed an opportunity to sweep a 2012 Stanley Cup playoff series for the third time in four tries Wednesday night, spilling a 3-1 decision to the New Jersey Devils.

All that really means is that they now have an opportunity to polish off an adversary in five games for the third time in three tries. And they have a chance to clinch their first title in franchise history in the midst of claiming a record 11 road wins in a single playoff run.

All things considered, that potentiality ought to be at least a tad less pressure-filled than the objective they failed to meet on Wednesday, namely, clinching the Cup before their home crowd.

And it is certainly worth mentioning that all three of L.A.’s losses this spring have occurred at the Staples Center when they have had a chance to complete a sweep.

But the Vancouver Canucks and Phoenix Coyotes both know just how long it took for the momentum to swing back the other way as the scene shifted back to their respective mansions.

In both of the two Game 5s they have played so far this spring, the Kings have shed first blood but ultimately regrouped to end the series in overtime.

For the Canucks, in particular, the schedule was no help after they salvaged their season in the Western Conference quarterfinals. A rare four-day interlude separated their Game 4 victory in Los Angeles and the resultant Game 5 at Rogers Arena, which the Kings ultimately claimed in overtime.

As it happens, there is a three-day gap between the Devils’ victory on Wednesday and the next faceoff at the Prudential Center on Saturday. In turn, they will likely be forced to manufacture their own momentum rather than bank on any coast-to-coast carry-over.

And even if Wednesday’s decisive third period—which really functioned as a mini-game after two scoreless stanzas—does springboard the Devils, the Kings have their own reference points to counteract that.

Despite the defeat and the statistical sore the decisive third period left on goaltender Jonathan Quick’s transcript, the Kings only tightened their grip on both sides of the special teams’ spectrum.

For the first time in four meetings, Los Angeles drew the majority of the power plays for itself on Wednesday. And after both teams went scoreless on the man advantage in Games 1 and 2, the Kings went a cumulative three-for-six at home, all dating back to the third period of Game 3.

New Jersey held the Kings off for three penalty kills within the first 40 minutes on Wednesday. But immediately after conceding its first deficit of the series, L.A. pounced on its next power play, winning the faceoff and nimbly drawing a 1-1 knot via Drew Doughty in a matter of six seconds.

It went for naught on this night as Adam Henrique tallied another go-ahead goal for the Devils at even strength with less than five minutes to spare in regulation.

Nonetheless, the Kings are finding a long-elusive power-play groove in the climactic phases of their playoff run, while not giving up an ounce of radiance on their top-notch penalty kill.

The Devils, who whiffed on two first-period power plays when Game 4 was still young and scoreless, have now come up empty on each of 15 man-up segments in the championship round. The Kings have made more out of less at three-for-nine in the series, a sound 33.3 percent success rate.

Only the hockey gods know what would have happened if L.A. had percolated a heavier wave in the wake of Doughty’s equalizer and drew itself one more power play in the latter half of the third period. All the mortal witnesses know is that the team with no tomorrow found the tiebreaker in crunch time.

But the Devils might want to consider themselves fortunate that Henrique’s decider came in regulation. After all, the Kings are a solid 4-0 in overtime in these playoffs.

As it happens, those first two bonus-round wins came on the road in Game 5 in Vancouver and (suburban) Phoenix. The last two have come in each of the Kings’ last two road outings in Newark.

Something to think about heading into Saturday’s Game 5 in Newark, is it not?