Stanley Cup Final: Kings fans look forward to L.A. victory

Kings fans at L.A. Live said Wednesday night that they were disappointed with the team’s loss but were looking forward to the Stanley Cup Final coming back to Los Angeles.

The Kings lost to the Rangers 2-1 in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden but will get another shot to win the Stanley Cup for the second time in three years on Friday.

Felix Dacumos, 36, of Pasadena, said he wasn’t worried about the Kings, who hold a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

“We’re going to come back to L.A.,” he said. “They’re going to win it.”

Like other fans who poured out of the restaurants and bars near L.A Live after the game, Dacumos could not believe what some thought would have been a game-changer.

“The puck stopped right at the line,” he said. “It’s like the puck was asking to come back to L.A.”

Outside a nearby sushi restaurant, 24-year-old Garrett Gutierrez took the loss in stride.

“I’m frustrated,” he said, “but [the game] is going to come back here and I know they’re going to win it here.”

At L.A. Live, hundreds of fans flooded the plaza area, where Game 3 was shown Monday on a big screen. But the fans, many of them decked out in black-and-white Kings jerseys, were disappointed to find out that there was no outdoor viewing for Game 4.

Around 6 p.m., security personnel gated off the plaza area, saying that they were told by fire inspectors that the area was filled beyond capacity. That sparked anger from people who had traveled downtown in hopes of seeing the Kings.

“This is what you do?” an upset Bill Watkins told a security guard.

The 41-year-old Pasadena resident later said that he had taken three Metro rail lines to get downtown. “Obviously I’m disappointed,” he said. “There’s no Kings spirit. There’s no L.A. spirit.”

Game 5 is Friday night at the Staples Center.