LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils 6-1 in Game 6 on Monday night to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
The Kings took the game away from the Devils in the first period, scoring three goals during a frantic five-minute power play after winger Steve Bernier was penalized for boarding.
Kings captain Dustin Brown started the rout, redirecting a Drew Doughty shot 11 minutes in to make it 1-0.
Brown thought he had another less than two minutes later but the goal was credited to Jeff Carter, who was deemed to have tipped Brown’s shot into the net.
The third goal came via Trevor Lewis after 15 minutes, sweeping the puck past Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur on the back of strong work from winger Dwight King.
And the scoring spree wasn’t done yet, as Brown found Carter 1:30 into the second period and the center’s whipped shot took the lead out to 4-0, ultimately killing the contest.
New Jersey’s only joy came with just over a minute left in the second period, when Adam Henrique knocked in the rebound from a Petr Sykora shot to pull the Devils within three.
But two goals late in the third — the first to Lewis and the second to Matt Greene — completed the demolition and saw the Kings complete their improbable run, becoming the first team in history to win the Stanley Cup as the eighth seed.
The Devils were seeking to become the first team since the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 to rally from a 3-0 series deficit to win the Cup, but the task proved too great.