LOS ANGELES — The Rangers’ downfall Saturday night began with a goal that should’ve been disallowed, insisted livid goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
Trailing 4-2 early in the third period of Game 2, Kings left wing Dwight King scored when a Matt Greene point shot hit him as he fell on top of Lundqvist.
The Rangers goalie was furious, lashing out at referees on the spot and after the game, saying either an interference penalty should have been called or the whistle blown to stop play.
Nearly six minutes after King’s disputed goal, former Ranger Marian Gaborik drew Los Angeles even, setting the stage for another maddening defeat, this time a 5-4 double-overtime loss to the Kings at Staples Center that has the Rangers staring at a daunting 2-0 deficit entering Game 3 at the Garden Monday night.
“I’m extremely disappointed on that call or non-call,” Lundqvist fumed. “They got to be consistent with that rule. We, in the second period get called for a penalty [on Benoit Pouliot] and the puck is not even there. They score a goal and I can’t even move. It’s extremely frustrating for them to get life like that. After that, it’s a different game.
“I don’t expect a penalty on the play, but they need to blow the whistle. A goalie can’t move when you have a guy like that on top of you. It’s such an important play of that game.”
Lundqvist said he was told by officials the shot was by him by the time contact with King was made, which he questioned, saying, “I don’t buy that.”
Lundqvist said video replay should be considered in the future when it comes to such an important call. On replay, it appeared King was fighting to get to the front of the net when he made contact with Lundqvist. Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh was there battling King, but it is difficult to tell if he forces the winger into his goaltender.
“I just tried to get in front of him, and maybe get a little cover [in front], but I didn’t get there,” King said. “I was just fortunate for it to hit me, I guess.”
The NHL rulebook reads: “If an attacking player has been pushed, shoved, or fouled by a defending player so as to cause him to come into contact with the goalkeeper, such contact will not be deemed contact initiated by the attacking player for purposes of this rule, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.”
Rangers coach Alain Vigneault declined to go into much detail on King’s goal. Asked if a penalty should have been called, he said, “Ask the NHL.” And even on the play in question, McDonagh said, “We shouldn’t let them create a turnover in the first place.”
“It gave them life,” Rangers left wing Carl Hagelin said. “[We’re] obviously not happy with that call.”
Through Lundqvist’s complaints about the non-call, he insisted it didn’t distract him from the task at hand, and though it gave the Kings a jump-start, it didn’t affect him. McDonagh agreed, pointing to all the chances the Rangers had in the two overtimes as where the game got away.
— Additional reporting by Tom Bontemps.