The resilient New Jersey Devils edged the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 on Saturday to trim their deficit in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup championship to 3-2 and force a Game Six on Monday.
Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador scored the game winner midway through the second period when his slapshot ricocheted off Kings defenseman Slava Voynov and into the net.
New Jersey captain Zach Parise scored a power-play goal in the first period to give the Devils a 1-0 lead but the Kings' Justin Williams countered with a score early in the second period to set the stage for Salvador's tally.
New Jersey lost the first three games of the series and is trying to become just the second team to overcome such a deficit in the finals and win the championship.
Devils netminder Martin Brodeur stopped 25 shots, while his Kings counterpart, Jonathan Quick, turned aside 17.
The Kings entered the game a perfect 10-0 on the road during the postseason and now return home to the Staples Center in Los Angeles where they are 5-3.
Parise's goal snapped a dismal string of 15 consecutive power-play failures during the series. He stuffed a loose puck home after Quick left his crease and misplayed a puck that bounced off the end boards and out toward the net.
Three minutes into the second period, however, Williams brought the puck over the blue line on the right side and shuffled over to the middle of the ice. He then fired a high shot that eluded Brodeur, who was badly screened.
(Editing by Frank Pingue)
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