Kings Win 2OT Thriller to Win Stanley Cup

(LOS ANGELES, Calif. ) - Another comeback. Another double-overtime winner. Another Hollywood ending for the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings put the finishing touches on their historic story of resiliency in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs by rallying from behind Friday to win the Stanley Cup for the second time in three seasons.

Alec Martinez scored 14:43 into the second overtime of Game 5 to give Los Angeles a 3-2 victory against the New York Rangers at Staples Center. It was the longest game in Kings' history.

Martinez led the rush into the zone and passed to Tyler Toffoli. His shot was stopped by Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, but the rebound came to Martinez, who put it in for the winner.

Marian Gaborik gave the Kings a chance to win the Cup on home ice with a game-tying power-play goal off a rebound left by Lundqvist at 7:56 of the third period.

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick made 28 saves, including 15 in overtime. Lundqvist made 48 saves.

Kings forward Justin Williams, who scored the first goal in Game 5, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs.

The Kings needed five games to defeat the Rangers but had to win coming from behind in three of them, all at home, all in overtime. They erased four two-goal deficits to win Games 1 and 2, and came back from a one-goal deficit to clinch the Cup in Game 5.

Los Angeles became the first team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup after playing the maximum 21 games in the first three rounds. The Kings are the first team to win the Stanley Cup after playing as many as 26 games in the playoffs.

The Kings erased a 3-0 series deficit to beat the San Jose Sharks in the first round. They won Games 6 and 7 against the Anaheim Ducks in the second round, and held on against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference Final to win Game 7 in overtime, when Martinez scored the winning goal.

The Kings are the second team to win the Stanley Cup twice since the NHL salary cap was instituted in the 2005-06 season. The Blackhawks won the Cup in 2010 and 2013. Los Angeles won it in 2012.

Los Angeles finished the playoffs with a 5-2 record in overtime, including 3-0 in the Cup Final. They won Game 2 in double overtime. New York was 2-4 in overtime in the playoffs.

The Rangers had a chance to win it earlier in the second overtime when they had a power play after Kyle Clifford was called for boarding Derek Dorsett. They nearly did score, but Dan Girardi's deflected shot hit off the post. It was the fourth time a shot hit off the post in the overtimes.

Jeff Carter's deflection of Jarret Stoll's shot hit off the left post earlier in the second overtime.

Kings defenseman Slava Voynov prevented Rangers forward Rick Nash from scoring into an open net by deflecting the shot with his stick midway through.

Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh clanged a shot from the top of the right circle flush off the right post during a power play at 4:42. Toffoli caught all iron, the crossbar, with a shot from the left circle at 12:38.

Kings forward Tanner Pearson had a chance on a wraparound at 13:41 but hit the side of the net. Rangers forward Chris Kreider had a breakaway with 33 seconds remaining in the first overtime, but Quick stoned him with a blocker save.

The Rangers had 2-1 lead after two periods on special teams' goals by Chris Kreider (power play) and Brian Boyle (shorthanded) in the final 4:23 of the second. However, as they did in the first period, the Kings scored in the third period before the Rangers even had a shot on goal.

Rangers center Derek Stepan tried to clear the puck out of the zone, but Carter held it in and moved the puck across the zone to defenseman Drew Doughty. Lundqvist stopped Doughty's knuckling shot from the top of the right circle, but the rebound dropped down in the crease and Gaborik, who had inside position on Rangers defenseman Anton Stralman, poked the puck through Lundqvist's legs for the tying goal. It was Gaborik's NHL-leading 14th goal of the playoffs.

The Rangers got their first shot on goal of the third period 28 seconds later; they had three. For the series, New York has been outshot 61-25 in the third period.

The Rangers scored enough in the second period to give themselves a 2-1 lead. Kreider scored on a power play at 15:37, and Boyle roofed a wrist shot from the left circle into the top right corner of the net for a shorthanded goal at 19:30.

It was the Rangers' third shorthanded goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Boyle had an assist on each of the first two, which were scored by left wing Carl Hagelin.

With a hooking penalty to Dominic Moore near expiration, Voynov couldn't keep the puck in the zone at the left point. Voynov chased it back into the neutral zone, but Hagelin beat him to the spot in between the benches, gained inside position with a strong box-out move, and shoveled the puck up to Boyle, who entered the zone onside and with speed.

Boyle used his long reach to get around Doughty before rifling a wrist shot across his body, off Doughty's stick and into the far corner of the net. Quick gave Boyle the room to shoot to the far side because he came well out of his crease to take away the near-side shot.

Deliberate passing once they finally gained the zone helped the Rangers tie the game 1-1 on Kreider's redirection, his first goal since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. It was the Rangers' second power-play goal on 20 chances in the Stanley Cup Final.

From the point, Brad Richards found McDonagh in the right circle. McDonagh waited for Kreider to get position in front of the left post before threading a pass through the slot and the blue paint that avoided Kings defensemen Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene. Kreider used his long reach to redirect the puck into the left side of the net.

Williams gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 6:04 of the first period with a goal off the third rebound in a sequence in front of Lundqvist. It was Williams' ninth goal of the playoffs, including his second of the Cup Final, and gave him seven points in the series.

The play started at the left point, where Mitchell blasted a shot on goal. Lundqvist stopped it then made saves on rebound attempts from Dwight King and Jarret Stoll before Williams used his backhand to swipe the puck under Lundqvist from the high slot.