Newark, NJ – Bryce Salvador's fourth of the playoffs has given New Jersey a 2-1 lead over Los Angeles after two periods of play in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Kings were trailing by a goal after the first period, but Justin Williams tied the game 3:26 in when he skated the puck into the Jersey end down the right wing, cut to the middle and snapped a wrist shot into the left corner with traffic in front.
New Jersey, though, responded at the 9:05 mark to take the lead back. Salvador received the puck up high and fired a wrister on net from the left point. It deflected off the side of LA's Slava Voynov and changed direction past Jonathan Quick for a 2-1 game.
The Kings were awarded a power play just 28 seconds after the goal when Devils defenseman Mark Fayne cleared the puck over the glass inside his own end for a delay of game.
Martin Brodeur made the lead hold up when he stopped a Williams shot down low and covered up the rebound. A bit later in the advantage, Jarret Stoll whacked a rebound out of the air and into the net from the left side, but the swat was well above the crossbar, so the goal was called off.
Ryan Carter nearly made it a two-goal game later in the second when he was all alone in front for a one-timer, but his shot rang off the helmet of Quick with under four minutes to play.
The Kings received another power play late in the frame when Salvador was called for high sticking after clipping Simon Gagne with 1:22 to play.
Los Angeles was unable to take advantage, though, as Brodeur made a nice stop on a Jeff Carter attempt from the left side. Los Angeles will have 38 more seconds to work with at the start of the third period.
Brodeur has 15 made saves through the first two periods while Quick has turned aside 14 pucks.
The only tally of the first period came on the power play after Willie Mitchell was called for interference on Patrik Elias.
A shot from Travis Zajac had got behind Quick shortly into the advantage, and despite mad action in the crease, the puck was eventually swept away from danger.
Later in the same advantage, Ilya Kovalchuk threw the puck into the Kings' zone down the left side and Quick came out to the left of the net to make a play. He sent the puck the other way, but it bounced off the boards and caromed to the right where Zach Parise was able to stuff it in at 12:45 for his first goal and point of the Finals.
Earlier in the period, Williams caught the right post with a wrist shot about three minutes in while Brodeur made a pokecheck on a Dustin Brown rush to the net in the first minute.
The Kings are hoping to wrap up the series for the first Cup victory in the franchise's history and improve to 11-0 on the road in the playoffs, while the Devils are looking to do the improbable and rally for four straight victories to capture the Cup for the first time since 2003.
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