The Los Angeles Kings are one game away from their second trip to the Stanley Cup Final in three years.
Kings vs. Blackhawks Game 4 final score, highlights and reaction
Harry How
2 - 5 Kings lead, 3-1
3 things to know
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The Kings' power play is unstoppable (for now)
The beauty of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is that they're so unpredictable and that anything can happen over any random two- or three-week stretch. Example: The Los Angeles Kings being the highest-scoring team in the postseason (after being just 26th during the regular season) and going on a 5-for-10 run on the power play during Games 2, 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Final. That included a pair of first-period power-play goals on Monday as they stormed out of the gate in their 5-2 win. Keep in mind that the Kings' power play during the regular season was 27th in the NHL. This is starting to look like 2012 all over again, and just as it was two years ago, it was a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets that helped ignite the second-half offensive surge (in 2012 it was Jeff Carter, in 2014 it's been Marian Gaborik). -
The Blackhawks aren't helping Corey Crawford
Corey Crawford had another rough night for the Chicago Blackhawks, giving up four goals on just 20 shots, but it's hard to pin this performance entirely on him. The team in front of him was pretty awful defensively and left him out to dry on more than one occasion, turning the puck over, failing to get the puck out of the zone and just flat-out leaving people alone in front of the net. All of that happened in the first 20 minutes on Monday and it put the Blackhawks in a hole they were never able to climb out of. And now they're one game away from elimination. -
You're at the wrong game, bro
So this was kind of random and really unexpected. In the middle of the second period on Monday night, and just before a faceoff in the Chicago zone, a lone Maple Leafs fan stood up, pounded on the glass, and then decided to let everybody know that his team is still No. 1. Even though his team wasn't actually playing in the game. But hey, at least he's excited.
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