Don't tell the Los Angeles Kings that.
Dustin Penner put home a rebound off a Jeff Carter shot at 17:42 of overtime to lift the Kings to a 4-3 win over a game Phoenix Coyotes squad and send them back to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1993.
The Kings became just the second No. 8 seed to ever reach the Stanley Cup finals. They will now try and do what the 2005-2006 Edmonton Oilers fell just short of doing—winning it all.
Penner's score came just seconds after Kings captain Dustin Brown collided with Coyotes defenseman Michal Rozsival just over the L.A. blue line. Many felt the hit was of the knee-to-knee variety and warranted a penalty. Others felt it was a clean hit.
Rozsival had to be helped off the ice, and roughly twelve seconds later, the Kings were celebrating a Western Conference championship. It was the Kings' eighth-straight road win of these playoffs and a record 10th-consecutive playoff win away from home carrying into last year's first-round exit to San Jose.
The somewhat controversial ending made the traditional post series handshakes very testy, and Coyotes captain Shane Doan was visibly angry with Brown as the two captains came together in their respective lines.
If not for Jonathan Quick's play in the first period, it is unlikely an overtime would have been necessary. It is also quite likely that the series would be heading back to Los Angeles for a Game 6.
The Coyotes came out on fire, got a power play goal from Taylor Pyatt at 4:20 of the first period, and were all over the Kings. Some great saves from Quick were the only reason the Kings remained in the game.
About midway through the first period, the Kings got caught for having too many men on the ice, and the Coyotes went on the power play looking to extend their lead.
Instead, Anze Kopitar scored a shorthanded goa...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
