The New Jersey Devils got a goal with 72 seconds left in the second period to tie the Los Angeles Kings 1-1 heading into the third period of the opening game of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday.
Anton Volchenkov blasted a shot at Kings goalie Jonathan Quick and the rebound glanced off the stick of Los Angeles defenseman Slava Voynov with 1:12 left in the second period and into the net for the equalizer.
The Kings had swarmed after Devils goalie Martin 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.
The Devils killed a Los Angeles power play after an elbowing penalty against Dainius Zubrus, and shortly after Zubrus returned to the ice, the right winger blasted a shot into the chest of Quick from close range before New Jersey answered the pleadings of the Prudential Center crowd with Volchenkov's goal.
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 swept it by Martin 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 Steve Keating)
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