Devils stave off L.A. Kings’ bid to win first Stanley Cup

The New Jersey Devils fended off the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night, winning 2-1 to extend the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup championship series another game.

The Kings had entered the contest hoping to end the night atop the hockey world for the first time, and weren’t daunted by the fact the game was on the Devils’ home ice in Newark.

Being away from the Staples Center has hardly hurt the Kings of late: Prior to Saturday’s loss, the team had been a perfect 10-0 on the road in the playoffs.

But Los Angeles ran into a wall again and again, in the form of New Jersey’s legendary goalie, Martin Brodeur. The Devils had jumped ahead 1-0 on a power-play goal by their captain Zach Parise, and then answered a second-period Kings goal with one by defenseman Bryce Salvador.

Despite the result – it was the Devils’ second straight win – Los Angeles holds the upper hand with three victories to New Jersey’s two in the best-of-seven series. The teams play again Monday night in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles has been defying the norm for much of the last few weeks – dominating at times despite having squeezed into the playoffs as a No. 8 seed, and triggering a virulent case of hockey fever in sunny southern California.

The last time the Kings garnered this much attention back home was in the late 1980s and early 1990s, propelled by the league’s all-time top scorer, Wayne Gretzky.

“The Great One” and now-ESPN analyst Barry Melrose led the franchise, which began play in 1967, to a Stanley Cup finals showdown with Montreal in 1993. But the Kings lost that series decisively, and have never won the NHL’s ultimate prize.

This year’s Kings are led by goalie Jonathan Quick and center Anze Kopitar, who ranks ahead of all others this postseason with eight goals and 11 assists.

The Devils have been among the NHL’s most consistent teams in recent decades. They’ve won three Stanley Cups, the most recent in 2003.