Game 4 Preview: Los Angeles at New York

(3) Los Angeles Kings (15-9) at (2) New York Rangers (12-11)
Wednesday, June 11, 2014, 5:00 p.m. PT
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Referees: #4 Wes McCauley, #13 Dan O’Halloran
Linesmen: #71 Brad Kovachik, #75 Derek Arnell
NBCSN, CBC, RDS, KEIB 1150 AM

Los Angeles Projected Starting Goaltender – Jonathan Quick
2013-14 Playoffs: 24 GP (24 GS) /15-9 record / 2.69 GAA / .910 Sv% / 2 SHO
Career, Playoffs: 74 (74) / 44-30 / 2.24 / .923 / 9
2013-14 Playoffs, Away: 13 (13) / 8-5 / 2.72 / .915 / 2

New York Projected Starting Goaltender – Henrik Lundqvist
2013-14 Playoffs: 23 GP (23 GS) / 12-10 record / 2.20 GAA / .922 Sv% / 1 SHO
Career, Playoffs: 90 (90) / 42-47 / 2.26 / .921 / 9
2013-14 Playoffs, Home: 11 (11) / 6-5 / 2.00 / .915 / 1

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2013-14 Los Angeles Leaders
Total Points: Anze Kopitar (5-21=26)
Goals: Marian Gaborik (13-8=21)
Assists: Anze Kopitar (5-21=26)
Plus/Minus: Justin Williams (+14; 8-16=24)
Penalty Minutes: Kyle Clifford (37; 1-5=6)
Time On Ice: Drew Doughty (28:18; 5-12=17)

2013-14 New York Leaders
Total Points: Ryan McDonagh (4-12=16)
Goals: Martin St. Louis (7-7=14) Carl Hagelin (7-4=11)
Assists: Ryan McDonagh (4-12=16)
Plus/Minus: Benoit Pouliot (+8; 4-5=9), Kevin Klein (+8; 1-3=4)
Penalty Minutes: Benoit Pouliot (22; 4-5=9), Daniel Carcillo (22; 2-0=2)
Time On Ice: Ryan McDonagh (26:04; 4-12=16)

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Rankings and Statistics

Goals/Game: LAK – 1 / 3.50; NYR – 11 / 2.61
Goals Against/Game: LAK – 7 / 2.75; NYR – 2 / 2.44
Power Play: LAK – t-5 / 24.0%; NYR – 11 / 12.6%
Penalty Kill: LAK – 9 / 83.0%; NYR – 3 / 85.5%
Shots/Game: LAK – 6 / 31.1; NYR – 10 / 29.7
Shots Against/Game: LAK – 7 / 30.5; NYR – 3 / 28.8
Faceoffs: LAK – 2 / 52.6%; NYR – 12 / 47.7%
Save Percentage: LAK – 7 / .910; NYR – 2 / .915

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Los Angeles Projected Lines

Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Dustin Brown
Tanner Pearson – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King – Jarret Stoll – Justin Williams
Kyle Clifford – Mike Richards – Trevor Lewis

Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty
Willie Mitchell – Slava Voynov
Alec Martinez – Matt Greene

Jonathan Quick
Martin Jones

Level of confidence in projected lines: A-. Line rushes at the morning skate depicted the same alignment that has been used this series. Don’t expect the Kings to make changes as a four game winning streak has brought them within one win of the Stanley Cup.

Notes and milestones: The last Stanley Cup Final sweep was in 1998, when Detroit swept Washington … Los Angeles is 109-135 all-time in the playoffs, a record that includes an away mark of 48-80. … The Kings are 4-5 all-time against the Rangers in the playoffs (3-2 home, 1-3 road). … Los Angeles is 12-28 all-time in Game 4s. When winning Game 4, the Kings have won nine of 12 series. When losing Game 4, they have won nine of 28 series. … Los Angeles has led a best-of-seven series 3-0 four times, all in the 2012 postseason. They won all four series in five, four, five and six games. … Teams leading the Stanley Cup Final 3-0 have won the series 25 of 26 times (96.2%) since the best-of-seven format in 1939. The only club to come back from a zero-three deficit to win the Stanley Cup was the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, over Detroit. … The Kings have scored at least three goals in nine consecutive games. They lead the NHL with 84 goals in the postseason, an average of 3.50 per game. … Justin Williams enters tonight’s game with a five-game point streak (2-7=9). He leads all players with six points (1-5=6) in the Stanley Cup Final and is tied with Carter for second place in playoff scoring with 24 points (8-16=24). … Los Angeles has scored in 21 of the last 26 regulation periods. … The Kings are 10-0 when they do not allow a power play goal. … Drew Doughty has averaged 28:18 of ice time per game. His 12 assists tie the Kings’ single postseason record by a defenseman. … Jeff Carter has 15 points (7-8=15) in the last 11 games. … With 13 goals, Marian Gaborik trails Wayne Gretzky (15 / 1993) by two goals for the most goals in a single postseason in Kings history. … Los Angeles is 8-3 on the road since dropping Games 1 and 2 in San Jose. … 17 players on the current Kings roster played for the Kings during the 2012 Stanley Cup run. … Los Angeles has relied on 12 different goal scorers, dating back to (and including) Alec Martinez’s overtime series-winning goal at Chicago.

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New York Projected Lines

Chris Kreider – Derek Stepan – Rick Nash
Carl Hagelin – Brad Richards – Martin St. Louis
Benoit Pouliot – Derick Brassard – Mats Zuccarello
Brian Boyle – Dominic Moore – Daniel Carcillo

Ryan McDonagh – Dan Girardi
Marc Staal – Anton Stralman
John Moore – Kevin Klein

Henrik Lundqvist
David Leneveu

Notes and milestones: New York is 0-11 all-time in series when trailing three-nothing. They have a Game 4 record of 5-6 in such situations and forced a Game 7 once, in 1939. … With one more loss, the Rangers would become the first team in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to lose 12 games. With 11 losses, they have tied the 1987 Flyers and 2004 Flames for the most losses in one postseason. … New York has outscored opponents 25-12 in first periods this postseason. The +13 goal differential is the best by any team in any period in the playoffs. … The Rangers are 3-44 on the power play at home in the playoffs. … New York is 10-2 in its last 12 games when facing elimination, dating back to Game 6 against Ottawa of the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Rangers have won seven straight games when facing elimination at Madison Square Garden and are the only team in the post-expansion NHL era to have won seven consecutive home games when facing elimination. … Henrik Lundqvist is 10-2 with a 1.32 goals-against average and .957 save percentage with two shutouts in his last 12 games when New York has faced elimination.

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