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Anze Kopitar silenced the home crowd Wednesday night with an overtime game-winner. Can the Kings do it again on the road in Game 2?
Vancouver, St. Louis, Phoenix and New Jersey -- wherever they go, the Kings just keep leaving the opposing crowd shuffling to the exits in disappointment.
On Wednesday in Game 1 against New Jersey, it was Anze Kopitar's breakway game-winner in overtime that silenced a raucous crowd at Prudential Center -- the latest arena to have its electric atmosphere go flat during a visit from the Kings.
Los Angeles is 9-0 on the road in the playoffs after Wednesday's 2-1 thriller in overtime against the Devils in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. They'll try to make it 10-0 Saturday when they face-off against the Devils in Game 2, scheduled for 5 p.m. in Newark, N.J.
"You've just got to come ready to play.'' Los Angeles defenseman Matt Greene said Thursday. "It's the finals. You're going to be jacked up, you're going to be nervous. You could have this game anywhere in the world and I think guys are going to be nervous going into it just because of what's on the line and where you're at and what's at stake."
As a No. 8 seed, the Kings have started every series on the road and jumped to an early lead in every series. They're 13-2 in the playoffs and have not been pushed beyond six games in a series.
That's allowed the team to get some rest between series. The Kings had a seven-day break before facing off Wednesday against the Devils.
"It's not about what happened, who we played last time, anything like that," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said after Thursday's practice. "I think we know our opponent is a lot tougher than anyone we played yet. Going into last night, I think they were 6-2, something like that, in home games.
"I think we know what the challenge will be on Saturday.''
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