Next Stop: Colorado

It had been so long since they had a victory like this to celebrate, so many years and coaches and losses ago, they couldn’t begin to tally the sorrows and disappointments.

The Kings put to rest as many ghosts and jinxes Monday as there were people in Staples Center when Adam Deadmarsh’s goal at 4:48 of overtime launched them to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings and a six-game series victory. They laughed, they cried, they hugged and shook their heads over the wonder of their first trip beyond the first round of the playoffs since their charmed 1993 march to the Stanley Cup finals.

“We were the underdog. Nobody gives us a chance before the playoffs,” Ian Laperriere said. “And it’s always nice to show people wrong.”

Deadmarsh, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche with Aaron Miller Feb. 21 in the Rob Blake trade to bring the Kings some much-needed grit, ensured his new team will face his old team starting Thursday at Denver when he poked the rebound of a shot by Jozef Stumpel past Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood.

Deadmarsh had sent the game to overtime when he converted a Stumpel rebound at 10:17 of the third period, capping another King comeback in a series built on remarkable comebacks and resilience.

“The puck came right to me. It was like I was in the right place at the right time,” Deadmarsh said of the series winner. “I wanted to put that in so bad.

“It’s relief and excitement all in one.”

Said Stumpel: “I was looking to make a play and nobody was open, so I shot. The rebound came right to Adam. It was so great. The crowd was really into it.”

So were the Kings, who felt redemption and validation and all kinds of words that tumbled through their minds in a happy profusion.

“It means a lot to the guys in this dressing room,” goaltender Felix Potvin said. “I think we proved we can win in the playoffs.

“We beat the second-best team, and now we play the best team. They’re going to be well-rested.”

The first-round loss was the first for the second-seeded Red Wings since 1994, when they were eliminated by San Jose.

“What do you say? When it counted they scored the goals,” said Detroit winger Darren McCarty, who had given his team a 2-1 lead at 6:42 of the second period. “This is 10 times worse [than their 1994 loss]. It’s devastating . . . for us, for everybody associated [with us], the fans. We let everybody down.”

Improbably, the second-seeded Kings won the last four games of the series from the Red Wings. The last time they had won four consecutive playoff games was 1991, when they won the last three games of their first-round series against Vancouver and the opener of a second-round series against Edmonton.

The Kings had taken an early lead on a power-play goal by Stumpel at 2:19 of the first period, but the Red Wings stormed back in the second period on goals by Pat Verbeek--scored on a power play gained when Stu Grimson took a needless unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for hooking Tomas Holmstrom’s stick on a faceoff--and McCarty.

King Coach Andy Murray called a timeout after the second goal. “I told [his players] we’re playing like we don’t know how to win, like we’re afraid to win,” Murray said. “We’re in our own building in front of 18 and a half thousand people pulling for us.

“There was a lot of time left. . . . The players were very, very resilient. We faced so much adversity along the way.”

King General Manager Dave Taylor acknowledged jumping high in the air in the press box when he saw Deadmarsh’s goal elude Osgood. But he didn’t need to see that goal to validate the trade. “I was glad to see him score those two goals,” Taylor said. “Both [Deadmarsh and Aaron Miller] are very competitive players. “

Because they are, they’ve made the Kings a competitive team.

“It’s all Adam,” Laperriere said in admiration. “For a guy like me to learn from a guy like him is incredible. He’s a champion for a reason. He’s got character and he showed us tonight why.”

The Avalanche, which had the NHL’s best record, will certainly be favored, as were the Red Wings. “The big boys,” Laperriere said of the Avalanche. “They’re a similar team. A lot of skills, a lot of depth. If we want to win we’re going to have to step up our game. . . . Can we do it again? We’ll see. It’s going to be hard. We have to work hard. To win this series, it’s going to take a team effort.”

Which is what they got against the Red Wings, who were without Steve Yzerman (ankle injury) and Brendan Shanahan (broken foot) Monday. “We’ll be ready to play them,” Murray said. “That’s another team we’ve played pretty good [a 2-2 season series]. There’s no reason playing if you don’t believe you can win.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

UP NEXT

GAME 1

THURSDAY

Kings at Colorado, TBA

GAME 2

SATURDAY

Kings at Colorado, TBA

GAME 3

MONDAY

Colorado at Kings, TBA

GAME 4

MAY 2

Colorado at Kings, TBA

GAME 5

MAY 4*

Kings at Colorado, TBA

GAME 6

MAY 6 OR 7*

Colorado at Kings, TBA

GAME 7

MAY 9*

Kings at Colorado, TBA

*-if necessary

*

COVERAGE

HOMESPUN CAN

WORK IN HOCKEY

King Coach Andy Murray resorted to a little rah-rah pep talk before Game 6 and who could blame him? D6

MODRY SHOWS

PATIENCE PAYS

Defenseman Jaroslav Modry kept his chin up after being benched and it has worked out well for him. D6

*

ALSO

OVERTIME

PITTSBURGH 4

WASHINGTON 3

Dominating the extra period, the Penguins clinched their series in Game 6 with a goal by Martin Straka. D7