In Tuesday night's Stanley Cup playoff action, the Los Angeles Kings held home turf in Southern California: They beat the San Jose Sharks, 2-1, in Game 7 and ensured each team went undefeated on home ice throughout their Western Conference Semifinal series.
2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs nightly GIF recap: Kings knock out Sharks
The Kings continued to win on home ice, and Jonathan Quick continued to make very GIF-friendly saves.
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The game began slowly, with few chances and few shots breaking through in the first period. Mostly, guys blocked and blocked. Joe Pavelski went down to stop this one:
But at least for those watching on TV or following on social media, noted hockey fan and adult film star Taylor Stevens livened things up from her seat behind Sharks coach Todd McLellan:
Just as the shots started to increase, Jonathan Quick made the kind of saves that make him a GIF favorite. This one is on Logan Couture:
Naturally, with Quick keeping the Sharks off the board, the Kings would take advantage. When the goals finally came, they came quickly, and they came off Justin Williams' stick.
First, he used some sorcery to jam this puck in:
Then he scored on a more traditional one-timer that barely eluded Antti Niemi:
The Kings might’ve run away with it, and Williams might’ve tallied himself a hat trick, but this time Niemi’s stretch was enough to keep it to a two-goal deficit:
Still, things were looking bleak for the Sharks before Dan Boyle rocketed home a goal to bring it to 2-1 and make the rest of the third period a nail-biter:
After corralling a stubborn puck, Joe Pavelski had the tying goal on his stick late in the third period. Jonathan Quick, as he did so often in the first two rounds, had other ideas:
With that all finished, the Sharks had the chance to wish their victors good luck. Or tell them their goalie is really good, or something.
The Kings advance to the Western Conference final, where they will face the winner of a Game 7 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.
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