Newark, NJ

The streaking Kings are heading home with a chance to win the Stanley Cup at Staples Center thanks to Jeff Carter's gutsy goal with 6:18 remaining in overtime as Los Angeles topped the New Jersey Devils 2-1 at Prudential Center.

It gave a commanding 2-0 series to Los Angeles, which will host Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

It marked the first time since 1951 that the first two games of the Cup finals went into overtime.

Game 2 featured an identical 2-1 winning score for the Kings, only this time it was Carter who shone for the victors.

Carter, acquired shortly before trade deadline from Columbus, skated down the right wing before launching a shot from the right circle that Devils netminder Martin Brodeur shovelled aside.

But Carter, who only notched one empty-net goal in the 2010 Cup Finals while with the Philadelphia Flyers, did not give up and gathered the puck again.

The 27-year-old center moved into the high slot before unleashing his patented low wrist shot that went past Brodeur and inside the left post at 13:42 in overtime.

Almost similar to Anze Kopitar's overtime winning tally in Game 1, Carter also went on Brodeur's blocker side to find the back of the net. Carter had a huge help from the 6-4, 242-pound Dustin Penner, who screened the New Jersey goalie.

Kopitar deked to his forehand to beat Brodeur from the blocker side but he scored the eventual winner on a breakaway.

Defenseman Drew Doughty scored the other Los Angeles goal at 7:49 of the opening frame and Jonathan Quick made 32 saves as the Kings improved to an remarkable 14-2 in the postseason.

It is the fourth overtime win in these playoffs for the Kings, have won 10 games on the road, which ties an NHL mark held jointly by New Jersey ('95, '00) and Calgary ('04).

L.A. has not lost on the road in these playoffs.

Ryan Carter provided the lone offense for the Devils when he got through Quick 2:59 in the third.

It marked the first goal allowed by Quick in the third or extra session since Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against Phoenix, a NHL-record streak of 184 minutes, 19 seconds.

Brodeur finished with 30 saves in defeat.

 

Jeff Carter OT Goal Lifts Kings over Devils

 

Russian star Vladimir Tarasenko agrees to join Blues

St. Louis, MO

Vladimir Tarasenko is joining the St. Louis Blues next season.

The team's first-round draft pick in 2010 has agreed in principle to a three-year, entry level contract that he is expected to sign July 1.

The 20-year-old Tasarenko informed Blues general manager Doug Armstrong Sunday of his decision to join the team, ending a period of uncertainty about his future as one of the franchise's most talented prospects.

"I did talk to (Tarasenko) this morning," said Armstrong, who is in Toronto for the NHL combine.

"It was just a brief conversation telling him I knew it was a difficult decision he had to make both professionally and personally to come over the North America and how excited we were to have him come and how I'm looking forward to working with him over the summer," Armstong said.

Tasarenko saw action for the Sibir Novosibirsk and SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) this year.

In 54 games, Tarasenko amassed 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists) along with 10 goals and 16 points in 15 playoff games with St. Petersburg, which was eliminated in the conference finals.

St. Petersburg recently offered Tarasenko a two-year contract that would have made him one of the highest-paid skaters in the KHL.

In 2011, the 6-foot, 202-pound Tarasenko captained Russia to a gold medal in the world junior hockey tournament, where he tallied four goals and seven assists in seven games.

Armstrong maintained that while Tarasenko is assured of a roster spot, the Russian should work hard and compete for a spot in team's top nine.

"As an organization, we all want to control unrealistic expectations," Armstrong said. "He's coming into a team that had 109 points, he's coming into a team that had the second-most points in the NHL. We expect him to come over here and compete for a job in our top nine. We think he has that ability, but we're not putting unrealistic expectations on him. He needs to just become a good NHL player."

Armstrong wants Tarasenko to join the team as soon as possible but he has to work that out and other details with the player's Russia-based agent Alexei Dementiev and former Blues goalie Mike Liut, Tarasenko's North American-based agent.

 

Twitter: @ihavenet

 

Copyright © 2012 AHN - All Rights Reserved