King Maker: Anze Kopitar Scores OT Winner, L.A. Takes Game 1

While Game 1 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals was far from a ratings blockbuster, it did show positive growth in America’s two biggest television markets.

Game 1 drew a 5.1/8 in New York. It’s the second-best rating for a Game 1 in New York on a broadcast network ever recorded. The best number for a Game 1 was during 1995 Stanley Cup Finals, which drew a 7.4/15 for Devils/Red Wings. It was also the best rating for a Stanley Cup Playoff game in New York since Game 7 of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals. This includes nine years of Rangers, Islanders and Devils playoff games. Game 1 is down from the 6.47 Eastern Conference Final high for Game 5 of that series, but that can be accounted to some Rangers fans tuning out after their team lost.

An overtime in Game 1 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals was not enough to drive ratings near last year’s levels.

Initial viewership numbers will be available in a few hours, and the final numbers toward the end of the day. This isn’t exactly a terrific start for this series, but as you’ll see, Pittsburgh/Detroit started slow a few years ago, and that series ended up okay. The Devils making this a series will be key to it’s success, or else we could be back toward 2004/2006/2007-type lows. For now, though, keep hope alive.

Stick with SB Nation’s dedicated NHL hub for full Stanley Cup finals coverage. For more on the New Jersey Devils, check out Devils blog In Lou We Trust. For more on the Los Angeles Kings, check out Jewels From The Crown and SB Nation Los Angeles.

Both teams in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals are there because of their aggressive play. They get in hard on the puck in the offensive end of the ice, pinch their defensemen and play a forward-thinking style. According to Kings blog Jewels From The Crown, Los Angeles had its forecheck working stronger than the Devils did for much of Game 1.

The Kings credited that to simple hard work.

Stick with SB Nation’s dedicated NHL hub for full Stanley Cup finals coverage. For more on the New Jersey Devils, check out Devils blog In Lou We Trust. For more on the Los Angeles Kings, check out Jewels From The Crown and SB Nation Los Angeles.

However, head coach Peter DeBoer was not acting as though his team deserved to win. Quite the opposite.

“You know, it would have been nice to get a bounce. But I don’t believe we deserved to win tonight. That’s the bottom line.”

That may prove to be a taller order against the Kings than in previous rounds, as Los Angeles is flirting with a bit of history this spring. Wednesday night’s victory was its ninth consecutive on the road, just one short of the NHL record.

Neither club played its best hockey, as the layoff between the respective Conference Final and Game 1 of the Cup Final seemed apparent. Both teams appeared tentative and were feeling each other out, but L.A. broke through midway through the first using a similar tactic to one perfected by New Jersey in prior series.

If there’s anything that the New Jersey Devils can be happy about after their 2-1 overtime loss in Game 1, it’s that they had their chances to win the game. They were the better team in the overtime period and for spurts in the latter period of the game but, when all was said and done, they just weren’t the better hockey team.

As head coach Pete DeBoer put it, they didn’t deserve to win the game.

If you’re the Los Angeles Kings and faced with a one-on-one situation -- just your forward and the opposing goaltender -- in overtime during the Stanley Cup Finals, one guy on your team would be the unanimous choice.

Devils coach Pete DeBoer said after the game that he doesn’t apologize for playing that aggressive brand of hockey -- “We’re in it to win the hockey game,” he said -- and he shouldn’t, because it’s that style that allowed them to reach these Cup Finals. But at least for one night, it hurt them.

A lesson in how to deke out a hall of fame goalie.

While the Kings struck first in the game, the Devils were clearly the better team in the game’s third period.

Now, there was traffic in front, so Kovalchuk was likely angling the puck a little bit, but let’s hope this doesn’t turn into a bunch of anti-Kovy and anti-Russians-in-big-spots screed.

Shots are 22-16 in favor of the Kings, who also outshot the Devils 8-7 in period three.

The last Stanley Cup finals overtime period came in Game 2 of the 2011 series, which Alex Burrows ended after a mere 11 seconds. One has to think this extra session will go a little longer, but you never know in the Stanley Cup finals.

The two-pad stack. Vintage Marty right there.

The Devils are dominating play in the third period and should probably have a big lead with all of these golden opportunities, but instead, we’re still tied.

Stick with SB Nation’s dedicated NHL hub for full Stanley Cup finals coverage. For more on the New Jersey Devils, check out Devils blog In Lou We Trust. For more on the Los Angeles Kings, check out Jewels From The Crown and SB Nation Los Angeles .

The goal ended what was actually a mediocre period for New Jersey. They didn’t get a shot for nearly 15 minutes in the second, but they’ve finally broke through. Goals like these almost convince a team to think it can’t waste puck-luck while they still have it. Either way, the next goal may do it here in Newark.

Legal? It looks as though Zubrus left his feet, so perhaps not. Still kind of awesome, though. Another look:

Stick with SB Nation’s dedicated NHL hub for full Stanley Cup finals coverage. For more on the New Jersey Devils, check out Devils blog In Lou We Trust. For more on the Los Angeles Kings, check out Jewels From The Crown and SB Nation Los Angeles.

The best part? We get another one of these at the end of the postseason.

Stick with SB Nation’s dedicated NHL hub for full Stanley Cup finals coverage. For more on the New Jersey Devils, check out Devils blog In Lou We Trust. For more on the Los Angeles Kings, check out Jewels From The Crown and SB Nation Los Angeles .

Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker once saved a neighbor from a burning building, but does that mean he’s a hero in every single life situation from now until the end of time? Like, for example, when a prominent hockey reporter gets stuck in an elevator at a hockey game in his city, does Booker need to come to the rescue?

Apparently.

If the Devils stop making mistakes, they can hang with this Los Angeles team, as they often had the territorial advantage in the first period.

Brown got a two-minute penalty, but the Kings killed it off.