LOS ANGELES — Henrik Lundqvist had waited nine years for his first crack at playing for the Stanley Cup. In the grand scheme of things, having to wait a few more days for his first victory in the finals isn’t the end of the world.
But oh, how close Lundqvist came to getting that victory here in Wednesday’s Game 1. Oh, how the Rangers’ franchise goaltender did whatever he could so that the first one would not be delayed for even a second, let alone to Saturday’s Game 2.
Oh, how this must have hurt. Or not.
“I have to say that I feel as good about our chances now as I did going into this game,” Lundqvist told The Post following the Kings’ 3-2 overtime victory on Justin Williams’ goal from the slot following a fatal Dan Girardi turnover at 4:35. “I went into the game thinking it would be 50-50, and that’s how I still feel.
“We were right there.”
The Blueshirts were there for the first 40 minutes, but really nowhere for the third period in which they were outshot 14-0 over the first 11:43 and 20-3 overall. Seriously, they might as well have been in Pasadena smelling the roses as on the rink playing for a championship. They were bystanders most of the way, and not innocent ones.
Winning a game in the Stanley Cup finals takes a minimum of 60 minutes. The Rangers came up short by at least a third. You could say that every single one of them knows it, too.
“In the first period we accomplished what we set out to do, the second was all right, but then in third, obviously it wasn’t good enough,” said Marc Staal, who had a bumpy ride. “The second half of the game we didn’t get the puck in and get on the forecheck, and they seemed to gain energy from being on the attack.
“Hanky still gave us a chance, but we’re going to have to be better next game. We’ll go over our mistakes and correct them.”
Carl Hagelin, who scored a shorthanded breakaway goal to give his team a 2-0 lead in the first and was denied by Jonathan Quick on yet another shorthanded solo attempt with 41 seconds left in regulation, was the Rangers’ best player. Benoit Pouliot, who scored the first goal, had his moments. Marty St. Louis had a couple of golden opportunities.
But for the most part, Rangers forwards couldn’t generate speed through the neutral zone after dictating the tempo with their pace for the better part of the first period. After setting up permanent residence in the first period in Wayne Gretzky’s office behind the net, the Blueshirts couldn’t get back to that prime piece of real estate thereafter.
There also was something critical lost in translation between the forwards and defense on the breakout that was broken most of the final 44:35. The Blueshirts simply could not navigate the 200 feet. Because of that, Los Angeles pretty much never had that task. Even-strength shots were 41-19, Kings, who were able to tie the score by 6:36 of the second.
“We didn’t go north-south as much as we needed to,” Brad Richards said. “But I don’t think the ice was tilted until the third period when they took over for the first 12 or 13 minutes. We let it go on for too long.”
The Kings came in what seemed like a continuous rush in the third, turning around the Rangers and forcing the Blueshirts to defend, forcing Lundqvist to be at his best. The Kings were up to the challenge, aggressive and acrobatic; cool as a surfer confronting the waves of the Pacific, and especially so down the stretch and over the final 1:36 of regulation with Los Angeles on a power play.
“It was intense,” Lundqvist said after a 40-save performance. “They had a couple of close calls.”
More than a couple, but the Swede wasn’t counting. That chore was left to everyone else.
“I mean, he was the reason we went to overtime,” coach Alain Vigneault said of Lundqvist. “I mean, he gave us a chance.”
Vigneault abandoned his four-line rotation in the third. Rick Nash was unable to make an impact, finishing with three shots in 15:37. Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard struggled. But again, the Rangers just didn’t have the puck enough. Thus, the Rangers’ speed was negated, except for a burst or two.
Still, though, this defeat did not burst anyone’s bubble, and least of all Lundqvist’s.
“I thought we did a lot of good things, I really did,” he said. “It feels good to have this game behind us. We can start building off this.”
Building toward the Rangers’ first win in a Stanley Cup match in 20 years.