Game 7 in Kings History

1968 Quarterfinals
April 18, 1968 at The Forum: Minnesota North Stars 9, Los Angeles Kings 4
-Los Angeles held a 2-0 series lead
-Both quarterfinal series and the Minnesota-St. Louis semifinal series in the new “West Division” featured Game 7s

From LAKings.com:
In the final game of the Western Division Stanley Cup playoff semifinals, the Kings fell to the Minnesota North Stars 9-4 at home.

Minnesota’s Parker MacDonald, Bill Goldsworthy, and Milan Marcetta each scored two goals, while Andre Boudrais, Wayne Connelly, and Dave Bolan rounded out the scoring for the North Stars.

The North Stars started the scoring early, taking a 3-1 lead at the end of the first period. In the second period, Los Angeles’ Eddie Joyal cut the deficit to 3-2 and raised hopes that the Kings were back in the game. Yet with five goals in the second period, the North Stars took a commanding 8-3 lead into the third period and the game, and season, was over for the Kings.

Kings veteran goaltender, Terry Sawchuk, did not receive much praise from the 11,214 present at the Forum, as he was soundly booed by the hometown crowd.

The nine goals were the most the North Stars scored all season.

1969 Quarterfinals
April 13, 1969 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena: Los Angeles Kings 5, Oakland Seals 3
-Los Angeles won the final two games of the series after facing a 3-2 series deficit
-Five of the seven series in the 1969 Stanley Cup Playoffs ended in sweeps.

From LAKings.com:
Ted Irvine scored two goals and Lowell MacDonald scored the game winner as the Kings clinched their first playoff series victory in franchise history with a 5-3 road win over the Oakland Seals to clinch the series, 4-3.

The Kings twice blew one-goal leads allowing the Seals to overcome 1-0 and 2-1 leads before two third-period goals by Bill Flett and MacDonald put the game away.

Irvine sandwiched his two goals at 2:13 into the game and 12:14 around a goal by Carol Vadnais just four minutes in.

The Kings were shorthanded for over eight minutes in the first period yet still ended the period with a 2-1 lead.

“I thought if we could survive that, we might win the game,” head coach Red Kelly told the San Mateo Times. “I told our boys the checking was going to win or lose it. The checking’s what did it.”

After Earl Ingarfield tied the score with his fourth goal of the series in the second period, Flett tied it five minutes later and MacDonald tallied the game winner mid-way through the third.

Gerry Ehman brought the Seals within 4-3 with just under 10 minutes to go, but Howie Menard iced the game with his third goal of the series.

Gerry Desjardins earned the win, stopping 24-of-27 while Gary Smith stopped 26-of-30 in suffering the loss.

1976 Quarterfinals
April 25, 1976 at Boston Garden: Boston Bruins 3, Los Angeles Kings 0
-Los Angeles led 2-1 earlier in the series
-Butch Goring scored the game-winner 18:28 into overtime in Game 6 to necessitate a Game 7

From LAKings.com:
The upstart Los Angeles Kings could not upset the Boston Bruins, falling 3-0 in the final game of the quarterfinals.

“It was a tough game and a tough series,” Boston coach Don Cherry told the Star-News in 1976. “We deserved to win. We were fortunate to have the seventh game at home, but that was what we played for all year.”

Boston’s Jean Ratelle scored the first goal of the game on the man advantage, and then Ken Hodge scored another power-play goal for the Bruins in the same period.

Ratelle scored the final goal of the game in the third period on a long shot that trickled past Los Angeles goaltender Rogie Vachon.

“The Bruins know how to pile up the manpower in front of the nets, and with two or three guys there all the time you can’t get back to stop the rebound from the other side,” Vachon told the Star-News.

With the season now ended, Kings coach Bob Pulford reflected on the season.

“I was proud of my team,” Pulford told the Star-News. “They played hard. They did the best they could. They went out trying.”

1989 Smythe Division Semifinals
April 15, 1989 at The Forum: Los Angeles Kings 6, Edmonton Oilers 3
-Los Angeles erased a 3-1 series deficit
-No games extended into overtime
-This was the only home Game 7 win in franchise history

From LAKings.com:
The Los Angeles Kings completed an improbable series comeback, eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers with a 6-3 victory.

“This is as high as I’ve ever felt,” Los Angeles’ Dave Taylor told the Canadian Press in 1989. “I think we all envied the Lakers…they were up on a pedestal, and rightfully so after winning back-to-back championships…we all wished we could do that, win the Stanley Cup.”

1993 Campbell Conference Final
May 29, 1993 at Maple Leaf Gardens: Los Angeles Kings 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 4
-The Kings rebounded from a 3-2 series deficit on Wayne Gretzky’s overtime winner 1:41 into overtime in game 6

From LAKings.com:
Thanks in large part to the brilliant play of Wayne Gretzky, the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 to advance to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup finals.

Gretzky notched his record eighth hat-trick in the playoffs, and added an assist as well.

“I’ve played 14 years in this league and I didn’t want to be remembered as a guy who didn’t play well in the Stanley Cup semifinals in Toronto,” Gretzky told the Associated Press in 1993. “I don’t think I’ve ever had this much personal satisfaction from winning a series.”

Los Angeles’ Mike Donnelly broke a 3-3 tie with a goal at 16:09 of the third period before Gretzky scored his final goal at 16:46 to give the Kings a 5-3 lead.

Kings coach Barry Melrose had some words of praise for Gretzky following the game.

“He’s the greatest player in the game and people who say he isn’t are nuts,” Melrose told the Associated Press.

2001 Western Conference Semifinals
May 9, 2001 at Pepsi Center: Colorado Avalanche 5, Los Angeles Kings 1
-Seventh-seeded Los Angeles upset second-seeded Detroit in the first round on Adam Deadmarsh’s series-clinching overtime goal in Game 6
-The Kings attempted to come back from a 3-1 series deficit
-Glen Murray necessitated a Game 7 by breaking a scoreless tie on a 50-foot slapshot 2:41 into overtime at Staples Center in Game 6
-Game 7 was tied 1-1 entering the third period; Bryan Smolinski hit the post from close range with under a minute remaining in the second period

From LAKings.com:
The Los Angeles Kings could not achieve a second come-from-behind series win, falling to the Colorado Avalanche 5-1 in Game 7.

Five different players scored for the Avalanche – Rob Blake, Chris Drury, Milan Hejduk, Ville Nieminen and Shjon Podein – as they out-shot the Kings 36-26.

Nelson Emerson scored the Kings’ lone goal of the night.

Patrick Roy was impressive, stopping 25 of 26 shots he faced, while Felix Potvin made 31 saves for Los Angeles.

2002 Western Conference Quarterfinals
April 29, 2002 at Pepsi Center: Colorado Avalanche 4, Los Angeles Kings 0
-The Kings were attempting to rebound from a 3-1 series deficit to Colorado for the second consecutive postseason

From LAKings.com:
The Colorado Avalanche used three second period goals and rode goaltender Patrick Roy’s strong play to eliminate the Los Angeles Kings with a 4-0 victory.

Roy stopped all 23 shots he faced, while Los Angeles goaltender Felix Potvin stopped 23 of 26 shots.

Chris Drury, Alex Tanguay and Steve Reinprecht scored three goals in the second period, while Adam Foote added an empty-net goal in the final period.