by Larry Leavitt

Los Angeles (4) NY Rangers (1): Game five between the Kings and Rangers was one of the most exciting game that I ever witnessed, it was fast, it was furious, the shot off on goals went off the pipes were numerous. Either team could have won game one, either team could have won game two, either team could have walked away from game three, either team could have won game four and the same could have been said for Friday night’s game five.

The Kings may have won four games to one but both teams showed up and wow the Kings and Rangers played an awesome series. The Kings just got that lucky goal that they needed. The Rangers goalie Henry Lundqvist stopped 48 goals in game five in the double overtime. It tells you that the Kings are relentless. They have four lines that they are all going be supporting each other.

It doesn’t matter whose in the penalty box, whose hurt, they’ve got other players they can depend on.The Kings have a top line of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, and their second line is deep and their third and fourth lines have depth. The Kings have the total package. Lundqvist had a great game five for New York. That last goal was kind of high that the Kings Alec Martin shot for the game winner in double overtime.

When you saw the shot you could see it was going to be a good chance, because of the way the rebound was going right to Martinez and it was amazing how this comes down to one play. In overtime either team had fantastic chances to bury the puck and the Rangers couldn’t do it in double overtime. I feel for the Rangers but I’m happy for the Kings they deserve the cup.

The Kings were the deepest team and the best part about this series is that it’s over and the day after the Stanley Cup Finals the new season begins, this is day one of next year’s season right here. Martinez got that winning shot and the shot went off the pad of Lundqvist and he jumped up and the rebound was going to be a good chance and the way it was going to Martinez and he was in the right place at the right time.

The interesting thing after the game the Kings Dustin Brown said he was glad it was over and the level of play was so high that he wasn’t even sure how they were going to keep it up. Kudos to the LA Kings, they won the cup they lifted it up and it’s time to start the next season.

The Kings have 17 players left from the Stanley Cup they won two years ago and they came back with this year, they knew how the playoffs go, they knew they could count on each other. They knew they could count on each other until the final buzzer of the last game, they came back in game seven in the first round against San Jose, they came back and won game seven in the second round against the Ducks, they came back and won game seven against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Kings played the most games in a Stanley Cup and it all had to do with experience of playing together and experience speaks volumes and they really found each other and stuck to the system and they knew they could count on each other, if one was having a bad day the others would pick up that player, so with the Kings you could never count them out.

Larry Leavitt did NHL commentary this season for http://www.sportsradioserivce.com