It is hard to believe but after two compelling overtime games, last night featured a Game 3 that was rather anti-climatic to a point. The first period was actually very good and it looked like games 1 and 2 all over again. That all changed in the final seconds when Jeff Carter tallied with less than a second left. From there, Los Angeles would add two goals and then let Jonathan Quick basically shut the door.
Game 3 was expected to be an extension of the first two and when it wasn’t, it turned more into what a lot of pundits thought might happen in this series. In some ways, the score could have been worse. This is despite the shot difference. It is all in the conversion which is something the New York Rangers just did not have last night.
Now it is time for the three stars. It really does have an “LA Story” sort of feel to it. Nobody should be surprised in the least.
Fantasy Hockey Three Stars
Third Star — Slava Voynov — Los Angeles Kings
Honestly I have seen this before. Slava Voynov has had a trying season but played one of his best games of the playoffs tonight. Granted, he only had one assist and was a +2 but Voynov played a vital 21:19 and was part of the cause for the New York Rangers frustrations. It was great to see the defenseman look like he did in 2012. Maybe all it really takes is the later rounds of the playoffs to get this guy going. Whatever the case, Slava Voynov was one of the big reasons why Los Angeles is one win away from sipping out of Lord Stanley.
Second Star — Jonathan Quick — Los Angeles Kings
For all the craziness, Jonathan Quick now has a .910 save percentage in 24 playoff games this year. The bottom line is Quick is just one win from his second Stanley Cup. The goalie made some amazing saves tonight. Just ask Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, and company. However, keep in mind, this is the same goalie who gave up six goals in the first two games of this series and had seven tattooed on him against San Jose. Sometimes, numbers do not always tell the entire story. When it counts it is a time where Quick usually comes up the biggest. He was huge when he had to be and that 32 save shutout cements the fact that to a point, Jonathan Quick has outplayed Henrik Lundqvist so far in this series.
First Star — Jeff Carter — Los Angeles Kings
It just seemed that Jeff Carter was everywhere during Game 3. He really deserved more goals than just the game winner but that is sometimes just how it goes. When you score a goal with less than a second left, it is a game and possibly series changing moment. Carter did have several other scoring chances along the way also. He played a very solid game defensively and the forward just looks as fresh as if this was Round 1. Jeff Carter likes playing in MSG so expect more of the same intensity in Game 4.
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Thanks again for reading and more fantasy hockey stories are coming soon.
