Stanley Cup Finals: Los Angeles Kings 3-0 New York Rangers - as it happened!

We've seen this before, hockey fans blaming a lack of shooting the puck on losses. There may be something to that...

Kings 3-0 Rangers, 1:30, third period

Nothing doing, LA continue to thwart any NY offensive. It's desperate times at the Garden.

Kings 3-0 Rangers, 3:17, third period

Quick clears the zone but it's wide of the net and that's icing. No real chances yet for New York.

Kings 3-0 Rangers, 4:21, third period

The net is empty - six Rangers are on the ice for New York. They need another two at least to beat Quick tonight.

If you closed your eyes and opened your ears at Madison Square Garden and had to guess whether it was a Stanley Cup Game 3 or a September exhibition game vs the Minnesota Wild, you'd pick the latter.

It's like that, really.

Kings 3-0 Rangers, 6:19, third period

It's kitchen sink time for New York, they need to make something happen yesterday.

Joe is seemingly still reeling from Girardi's hiccup with the puck in Game 1, one which led to the game-winning goal by Justin Williams, which is understandable.

Kings 3-0 Rangers, 7:45, third period

The Rangers are on the power play as Dustin brown slashes Marc Staal - but New York are once again unable to do anything with it. New York have now outshot their opponents 24-12 and have a bagel to show for it. That is no easy feat.

Kings 3-0 Rangers, 10:07, third period

The Rangers kill the penalty but we are close to halfway through the third period and LA maintain their stranglehold on the game. Now we see the replays of the Kings power play near goal - the puck came just centimeters (inches) away from crossing the goal line with Lundqvist helpless and away from the play!

Tri-state hockey

At a family event this weekend some Long Island based cousins were busy drawing anti-Rangers pictures at the table - with all the Rangers talk around town it's been easy to forget that Islanders and Devils fans are rooting hard against New York and are delighted with the Kings assault.

Meanwhile, Kreider heads to the penalty box, further deepening the Rangers malaise tonight.

Now after two major close-in shorthanded attempts by Zuccarello, Lundqvist is down, the puck is loose and somehow the Kings don't add a fourth goal!

Gulp.

Kings 3-0 Rangers, 16:09, third period

Pouliot shoots with no real angle from the goal line, it's off the mask of Quick and into the stands.

Kings 3-0 Rangers, 16:57, third period

The Kings carry the puck for a decent chunk of the advantage, mostly thanks to Anze Kopitar. Now New York gather themselves with under 30 seconds left in the power play but really, there's nothing doing. Uneventful for NY, something the Rangers could just not afford and the Garden is extremely quiet.

NBC TV here in the US tell us that the Rangers haven't beaten Quick for over 95 minutes. They also tell us that no team has overcome a 3-0 Stanley Cup series deficit since the Toronto Maple Leafs did it during the FDR administration, which is a bit unfair considering T-Dot's location. For the record, the Leafs comeback came in 1942, when William Lyon Mackenzie King was Canadian PM.

Consider this part of the giving Jonathan Quick credit section.

Yeah, and Quick is not getting enough credit. Consider this official credit for the job the Kings netminder is doing.

Kings 3-0 Rangers, 0:56, second period

The Rangers go on the power play - Jake Muzzin interferes with Derek Dorsett, and another shot for New York to get back in the game.

Now Nash carries towards the net and he slides into Quick, knocking the net off the moorings.

Kings 2-0 Rangers, 3:23, second period

The Rangers kill the penalty. Now Brassard flicks a shot from the top of the near circle and Quick flicks it away.

Kings 2-0 Rangers, 4:46, second period

Doughty, blue line pass to Martine at the near point and he puts it right on net forcing the save from Lundqvist who holds on.

Gaboril at the goal line, he feeds Carter and another save by King Henrik who holds on. Under 40 seconds in the man advantage now.

Kings 2-0 Rangers, 6:09, second period

Richards shoots wide, then McDonagh is blocked by Greene from the point.

Sustained pressure by New York - Pouliot by the goal line - Quick jumps out and smothers the puck!

Now Muzzin has his stick broken by Carl Hagelin, and that means the man-advantage is over and the Kings will go on the power play in just a few seconds.

A Kings goal would break New York here of course.

Kings 2-0 Rangers, 7:57, second period

Here come the Rangers - Rick Nash, skating - he's around the net, the net is open but he loses the puck! Oh my! Now there's a penalty, it's Drew Doughty who will go for preventing a Nash goal.

These are very big moments here for the Blueshirts.

Celebrity Spotting

Kings 2-0 Rangers, 9:11, second period

Brassard again with another shot off a rebound from the stick of Girardi! That doesn't go - the penalty is over but New York ha some chances there.

Kings 2-0 Rangers, 9:55, second period

Richards a shot from the near point, it gets through but is saved.

McDonagh a big, sweeping shot is wide, and the puck clears the one.

Back come NY, another shot by Richards, off his shoulder, the rebound comes to Brassard and he is denied!

Kings 2-0 Rangers, 11:47, second period

The NHL says the goal is credited to Muzzin, with assists to Kopitar and Gaborik, but that could change of course.

Rangers fans trying to get behind their team and help them get on the board and back into this game.

Now New York will go on a power play, which could be helpful - Willie Mitchell heads to the box for elbowing Zuccarello. Moments earlier, Benoit Pouliot was in front of the net with the puck, but Quick stuffed the Rangers forward.

Kings 1-0 Rangers, 16:13, second period

Kings move the puck, it's played in and misdirected off the stick of Carter forcing Lundqvist to make a difficult save.

Kings 1-0 Rangers, 16:38, second period

Now another penalty - Staal's stick is up again - this time he finds Martinez and now LA will go on another power play.

Kings 1-0 Rangers, 17:00, second period

Alec Martinez with a little wrist shot at Lundvist around the circle but it's easy for the Swede. Just one shot on LA's man-advantage, which is now over. LA are now 1-9 this series on the power play.

Kings 1-0 Rangers, 18:13, second period

Lundqvist hoists the puck off the glass to clear the zone. Then King Henrik is hit on the ensuing play by Dustin Brown, who had been hit by Marc Staal and went tumbling - all are OK.

I can imagine that being the case, yes. Rangers fans are some of the best complainers on the planet, even during the best of times, never mind now.

Aside from Jeff Carter's buzzer-beater, the teams are more or less level statistically - shots, hits, giveaways, takeaways are all pretty close to even steven. The scoreboard however, isn't.

That's a healthy crowd in a city where ice hockey continues to grow and grow. Their team is two periods away from a 3-0 series lead.

Michael Aston writes:

"Did the Kings Dwight King interfere with The King during LA's 5-4 double overtime victory over the New York Rangers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals"?

Did Michael Jordan, push off in his final throw in a bull shirt, to win his 6th ring, did Maradona, use his hand to beat England and eventually win a world cup? Yes, and this is how sports go, when officials miss calls, champions are born..hell, did the ball cross the line in '66/ NOPE!

Kings 0-0 Rangers, 0:18, first period

The Rangers are offsides 19 seconds into their man-advantage.

Then the Rangers regroup - Richards fires from the point, it's blocked by Muzzin.

Now Richards feeds Zuccarello, and he shoots off of Quick - the Norwegian is all over the place.

The power play is over.

Kings 0-0 Rangers, 2:18, first period

Two Kings turnovers keep LA busy in their own zone. There's a fight for the puck on the far boards before the refs blow the whistle - it's a penalty!

New York will have the first power play of the game after high sticking is called on Willie Mitchell who was battering Zuccarello.

Well it's a fast paced game, there hasn't been a lot of stoppage in play, both teams are trying real hard.

That's Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, who has seen these teams stop play on just four occasions thus far - this game is flying by...literally.

Kings 0-0 Rangers, 4:35, first period

Jarrett Stoll is throwing his body around and causing the Rangers to turn it over but LA get no major chance out of it.

Kings 0-0 Rangers, 7:20, first period

Here's a chance - John Moore plays the puck in and the rebound comes to Mats Zuccarello who is there with tons of net but can't get it into the net! Oh my - Quick got his stick on the puck at the very last moment!!

Shot totals

The shots are 2-2 according to the manual scorekeepers in the NBC booth, and that makes sense, because there hasn't been much of anything thus far in terms of shots or any real legitimate chances.

Ouch.

Kings 0-0 Rangers, 8:59, first period

Now Pearson with a shot from above the far circle, but it's right into the safe pads of Henrik Lundvist as he holds on and stops play, something that has barely happened in the first period.

Servers down

Apparently the servers are down at Madison Square Garden, so all they have is the score and the clock. That means no shot totals or anything else...

Kings 0-0 Rangers, 11:03, first period

Nash centers the puck but Mitchell is there to knck away the puck.

Now on the other end - Jeff Carter firing and a kick save by by Henrik Lundqvist - and that gets the "Hen-ry! Hen-ry!" cheers going at MSG.

We're nearly half way through the first period - it's pretty even thus far.

Kings 0-0 Rangers, 13:44, first period

Now it's Anze Kopitar carrying, carrying, behind the net, controlling, and now he's trying to wrap around, but it's off the blade of his stick and the puck slides across the crease. The Kings now are controlling the puck in the Rangers zone before New York clear the zone and are called for icing - so LA settling in a bit here.

Kings 0-0 Rangers, 15:32, first period

Hagelin around the net, he's wrapping it around but Quick is there to make the stop. The Swede's attempt comes moments after he slides into the boards, which means he made a solid recovery.

Now Ryan McDonagh is also trying his hands at a wrap around, same result, he's stuffed by Quick!

Kings 0-0 Rangers, 16:34, first period

Matt Greene is at point, where the Kings have ben so very dangerous - he fires but Lundqvist pounces on it, there's no rebound, he holds on.

Kings 0-0 Rangers, 17:00, first period

A three-on-two rush by the Kings yields no shot.

The crowd cheers "Let's-Go-Rangers!" as they do, and will do, a lot.

A lot of skating but no quality shots so far.

Here come the Rangers onto the Garden ice, to the tune of Baba O'Riley by The Who - I'm sure that's exactly what Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey had in mind when they wrote it. Meanwhile, NBC TV here in the US hare having a word with Martin St Louis:

Push it, believe in ourselves....I think scoring first every time.

He had a nice smile there - Rangers fans will hope the rest of the team are as loose in what is a tremendous moment for the franchise.

In case you were wondering how the Kings took a 2-0 series lead over the New York Rangers, woop here it is.

A lot has changed in the two decades since Madison Square Garden played host to Stanley Cup Hockey, but John Amirante still sings the national anthem. He's still as solid as they come, even if sometimes you can't hear him - back in 1994 the crowd drowned him out before Game 7.

I think that makes two of us...

Predictions

Not only are the Kings the first team to win three straight playoff games after being down two goals, but Los Angeles also pulled off this unprecedented trick:

Going back to Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, LA have not led for a single second of any of their prior three games, that is until winning those games in overtime, which is completely and totally ridiculous. Really, that should not be allowed, and therefore, I am saying that something has to give. Final score tonight NYR 4-1 LAK.

Tweet your prediction to @lengeldavid or by snail(ish) mail at david.lengel@theguardian.com