The Los Angeles Kings have taken a 1-0 series lead in the 2012 Stanley Cup finals, and that’s a very big deal because 76% of Game 1 winners in best-of-seven Cup finals have gone on to win it all.
That said, the trend has been derailed in recent years. The Boston Bruins managed to overcome a 1-0 deficit in 2011 and the Pittsburgh Penguins bounced back after surrendering Game 1 to the Detroit Red Wings in 2009.
A few more facts to chew on:
-- The last team to lose Game 1 at home and still win the Stanley Cup was Tampa Bay in 2004. In the history of the NHL, only nine teams have ever bounced back in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals series after losing Game 1 at home.
-- This was Martin Brodeur’s 200th postseason contest. The only other goaltender to reach that mark was Patrick Roy (247).
-- Anze Kopitar netted his seventh goal of the season, but the 2012 playoffs goal-scoring leaders are still Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux and Danny Briere (eight). Not bad for a duo that hasn’t played since the second round.
-- The Kings improved to 9-0 on the road in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, extending their NHL record for one playoff season. They have outscored their opponents 32-14 in the nine victories. The Kings have also won 11 straight away from home dating to the 2011 postseason, another playoff record.
-- You’d think home-ice advantage would matter if a game goes to overtime, but that hasn’t been the case lately. Road teams have now claimed 12 of the last 15 overtime games in the finals.
-- There’s been plenty of talk about the benefits of blocking shots, but the Los Angeles Kings only blocked six in Game 1.
-- If you’re a Devils fan looking for a silver lining, here it is: The last team to win Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals in overtime was the Carolina Hurricanes in 2002. The Detroit Red Wings bounced back and ended up winning the series in five games.