The New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings were tied 1-1 heading into overtime in Wednesday's opening game of the Stanley Cup finals after battling fiercely in a scoreless third period at the Prudential Center.
Both teams had their chances in a period played at a frantic clip.
New Jersey defenseman Mark Fayne had a great chance at a rebound off a shot by Peter Harrold, but failed to convert despite a big opening left by Kings goalie Jonathan Quick.
The Kings tested Devils' Martin Brodeur just after the midway point of the period with a string of five unanswered shots on goal, but the 40-year-old netminder turned away every one of them.
New Jersey earlier scored with 72 seconds left in the second period to tie the game.
Anton Volchenkov blasted a shot at Kings goalie Jonathan Quick and the rebound glanced off the chest and then the stick of Los Angeles defenseman Slava Voynov and into the net for the equalizer with 1:12 left in the period.
The Kings had swarmed after Brodeur early in the second period but failed to add to their 1-0 lead against the first 40-year-old goalie ever to play in the Stanley Cup Finals. Los Angeles outshot the Devils 9-4 in the period.
The visiting Kings had grabbed a 1-0 lead over the Devils after the first period when center Jordan Nolan won control of the puck behind the Devils' net with a crunching forecheck and passed to Colin Fraser, who one-timed it by Brodeur at 10:04.
Quick withstood a spirited New Jersey assault for an equalizer, turning away a point-blank blast by Travis Zajac, and watching an in-close shot by David Clarkson sail over the net.
(Reporting by Larry Fine; Editing by Ian Ransom)
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