Kings fans have waited 45 years, so what's another couple of days going to matter?
The New Jersey Devils had one goal during Game 4 on Wednesday รข€¦ get the Stanley Cup Final back to Newark. They did with three third-period goals for a 3-1 victory at Staples Center on Wednesday evening.
The victory sends both teams east for Game 5 on Saturday at the Prudential Center.
"We live another day here," Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur said. "It's fun."
It hadn't been for the Devils, who were stymied by Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick throughout the series. They finally got to him in the third period of Game 4.
Devils winger David Clarkson picked up a turnover near center ice and went into the Kings' zone. He sent a cross-ice pass to Adam Henrique, who flipped a wrist shot past goaltender Jonathan Quick's stick side with 5 minutes 31 seconds left in the game.
Ilya Kovalchuk clinched the victory on an empty-net goal with 19 seconds left.
Quick had made 89 consecutive saves until the Devils took their first lead of the series 7:56 into the third period.
New Jersey defenseman Bryce Salvador fired a shot from the blue line that Quick stopped. But Patrik Elias swept the rebound into the net. It was the Devils' first goal since Game 2.
It was also the first time the Devils have led during the series. The Kings got it back immediately.
Clarkson was sent off for boarding and the Kings parlayed that into their first power-play goal in the last two games. Kings winger Anze Kopitar won the faceoff. Center Mike Richards slide a pass toward the blue line and defenseman Drew Doughty, who threaded a shot through traffic and into the net to tie the score, 1-1, 8:58 into the third period.
The Kings had plenty of opportunities throughout the game.
Winger Simon Gagne stole a pass at the Kings' blue line and raced up ice on a two-on-one breakway five minutes into the third period. Gagne passed to center Trevor Lewis, but goaltender Martin Brodeur disrupted his attempt with a poke-check and the puck slid wide.
Kings center Dustin Brown knocked the puck off Brodeur's stick later in the period. The pinball-like carom went off Brown's skate and went just wide of the net.
During a scramble near mid-ice, a diving Doughty tipped the puck to winger Dustin Penner, who was off on a breakaway 11 minutes into the third period. But Penner fired wide.
Kings wingers Justin Williams and Kopitar both hit the post in the first period.
That the Kings and Devils were scoreless after one period was not because of a lack of effort.
The Devils had the better of it early, mainly because of Kings penalties, leading to two power plays in the opening 10 minutes. New Jersey was denied by Quick. Petr Sykora, who sat out the previous six games, got off a quick shot in the slot, but Quick snagged it. He then snared a blue-line try by Ilya Kovalchuk.
The Kings, though, went 15 minutes without a shot on goal until Penner put the puck on net with less than two minutes left in the period.
chris.foster@latimes.com
Twitter.com/cfosterlatimes
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