Stanley Cup Finals 2012: Kings Extend Road Game Streak with Overtime Win

Game 1 belongs to the Los Angeles Kings. They added to their undefeated road game streak with a 2-1 overtime goal in Game 1 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. Anze Kopitar’s breakaway goal at 8:13 in overtime earned them a 1-0 lead in the series, bringing them one step closer to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup.

Not only do the Kings remain undefeated on the road, but they are also undefeated in their three overtime games. Their astonishing postseason rampage continues as the Kings are now 13-2 in the playoffs.

The first goal of the Stanley Cup Final came when Colin Fraser scored 9:56 into the first period. As good as the Devils’ forecheck has been, it was the Kings that found twine, and that was because of their aggressive forechecking.

Center Jordan Nolan forced a turnover behind Martin Brodeur. From behind the net, Nolan passed the puck to Fraser, who was patiently waiting for the one-timer. The shot made it right by Brodeur’s right pad, giving the Kings a 1-0 lead.

The Kings would maintain that lead until Anton Volchenkov answered by scoring off a rebound provided by Patrik Elias. Of all the stunning scoring chances the Devils had on their 17 shots, Volchenkov’s goal was the only one that got by Jonathan Quick.

Quick wasn’t the only netminder that played well on Wednesday. Brodeur was faced with 25 shots and saved 23 of them. In addition, Brodeur did his team a service by drawing a goaltender interference penalty.

The Kings outplayed the Devils in the majority of the 68 minutes of play. As Devils head coach Peter DeBoer said (via the Associated Press, h/t cbc.ca), "If we had have won, we would have been sneaking one out." The Kings certainly earned their Game 1 victory.

With Game 2 in New Jersey quickly approaching, the Devils are far from out. They managed to take the Kings into overtime, showing that they are capable of snapping their road game streak. However, if the Kings can win on Saturday and take a 2-0 series lead back to Los Angeles, they may all but clinch the Stanley Cup. 

Michael Prunka is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist. To stay up to date with his WWE and NHL commentary, you can like his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter.