King Fuels Comeback Kings

Won't anybody tell the New York Rangers that hockey games are played in 60 minute intervals? It certainly won't be the kings, who have managed to do their best 1980s action movie star impression, taking hit after hit, bullet after bullet and refusing to go down, eventually being the last one standing.

On Saturday night, after dropping the second of a seven game set to the Kings, the Rangers boarded their charter for the east coast with heavy and understandably angry hearts. For the Kings, it's a slight feeling of jubilation, but their current joy is incomplete, as they know, better than most, that a playoff series can turn on a dime.

"We never expected this to be an easy series or a short series," Los Angeles Forward Jarret Stoll told reporters after his team's 5-4 win. "It's going to be a long series. It's going to be a very tough series."

"There's a lot of momentum swings within a series, within a game obviously," he added.

It was, with speed on Saturday night that the Rangers managed to score four goals en route to a double overtime, thrilling loss by a final score of 5-4. Their transition game, when it's on, has given the Kings fits all series. The Ranger forwards can outskate the opposing defense, giving them prime position to win puck battles behind the net. The Rangers are scoring this series on breakaways, quick neutral zone transitions and winning puck battles behind the night after dumping the puck in.

For the Kings, their game is predicated on heavy hockey, with an emphasis on possession. If they don't have the puck, they swarm until they get it back. They play so much of their game in the offensive zone, which has been extremely evident in this series and was more so in game 2. While possession is difficult to measure, shot attempts, the best metric we have for now, confirms the advantage the Kings have, although it's slight.

On Saturday, in all situations, the Kings attempted slightly over 54 percent of the shots, according to Extra Skater, a site that tracks NHL advanced statistics.

One of more infuriating plays in the game, from a Ranger perspective, happened when the Rangers -- surprise, surprise -- had a two goal lead. Los Angeles Winger, Dwight King, with both feet in the crease, and jostling for position with New York Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, prevented Henrik Lundqvist, New York's star goaltender, from moving across the goalmouth and making a save. A furious Lundqvist saw his team's lead reduced to one goal -- and shortly after, no goals -- but felt that it should have been disallowed.

Seems pretty obvious that a play like that should be reviewable, but we are talking about a sport that has a lockout every decade and allows players to punch each other in the face. Progress is slow.

New York Head Coach Alain Vigneault, had few words when asked about the call after the game.

"Ask the NHL," he replied, when asked if he thought it was interference.

His brief thoughts expressed more grief, than he ever could have hoped with a long winded explanation of the way the NHL implements their goaltending interference calls. Vigneault was clearly upset with the way it was handled, but wisely avoided calling the officiating to task and subsequently breaking open his New York Rangers Statue of Liberty piggy bank.

The Rangers have to move on and figure out a way to hold the lead and for them, it starts with personnel decisions.

Brad Richards' playoff regression is hitting the Rangers hard. He looks like a car with a shot transmission, stuttering down the thruway with his flashers on at an even 40 miles per hour. Or is that New York Rangers Defenseman Dan Girardi?

Age has been, generally unkind to the Rangers. Richards, Girardi and the even strength play of Martin St. Louis has eliminated the depth which made this team so efficient through the first three rounds. They are now getting sheltered minutes and sheltered zone starts, when they should be contributing offensively and helping progress play.

Does Vigneault know Rick Nash is a supremely talented player and have been arguably the Rangers' top forward so far in this series? It might be time to revisit putting one of your best players on the power play if you're Vigneault.

For the Kings, their story is the opposite of the Rangers. For them, it's all about timely hockey. They have been the anti-Rangers, starting slow and growing as the game continues onward.

"It starts with one," Los Angeles Captain Dustin Brown told reporters after the game 2 win. "That's what our mentality is. Whether we're down two, up two, the situation doesn't change for us. Where we have faltered is at the start of games, the last three games really."

He also discussed, how that mentality helps them stay in games.

"The mentality of our team is very black and white. We've been missing that in the first period. Again, in saying that, our mentality, it allows us to stay in games and to kind of turn the tide over the course of the game, has allowed us to come back."

They have simply worn the Rangers down and gotten incredibly timely goaltending from Jonathan Quick. Spending all game leaning and grinding Ranger forwards leads to turnovers and puck possession jitters.

While being up 2-0 in a series is clearly a strong advantage for Los Angeles, they, like the Rangers are no strangers to making a comeback and know this series is over.

After a five hour flight, both teams will take the ice again on Monday night. The Rangers will be looking to change their fortune -- although you don't always make your own luck, despite the saying -- and the Kings will be looking to twist the knife just a little bit more. Do the Rangers have that same, never say die mentality that the Kings have? That's the pressing question as this series continues on.