Kings look to take the final step

Goaltender Martin Brodeur and the Devils have to find a way to climb out of a 3-0 hole. JULIE JACOBSON / Associated Press

They can hoist the Stanley Cup at home in L.A. with a fourth straight win over N.J.

Posted: June 07, 2012

Jonathan Quick remembers eating ice pops with his friends and watching their beloved New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup on television in 1994. Dustin Brown vaguely recalls Joe Nieuwendyk's bringing the Cup to Ithaca, N.Y., but can't remember if he got to see it up close.

With just one more win by their Los Angeles Kings, the star goalie and the captain will have the Stanley Cup in their hands, above their head - even in the Pacific Ocean, if they choose.

The stage is set for a California coronation in Game 4 on Wednesday night. The Kings could complete a sweep of the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals in front of a sellout crowd that's been waiting 45 years for this chance to celebrate.

"It's right there in front of us, but we know there's one more step," Brown said Tuesday at the Kings' training complex. "We don't want to trip now."

The eighth-seeded Kings are dominating the NHL playoffs with an ease that's stranger than ice in sunny L.A. A franchise that has never done much of anything in the postseason has already conquered the Western Conference, and the Kings are one win away from claiming their first championship in almost impossibly stylish fashion.

"There's a lot at the end there to look forward to, if we play the right way," Jarret Stoll said. "I'm sure we'll talk a lot about it the next day and a half to get ready, making sure we're playing the right way, having the right attitude. Can't get too excited, look too far ahead. You have to stay in the moment and play the game."

Therrien is Habs coach

The Montreal Canadiens hired Michel Therrien as their coach again. The 48-year-old returns to Montreal after coaching the team for one full season and parts of two others. He was fired by the Canadiens during the 2002-03 season. Therrien coached the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2005 to 2009 and was fired in February 2009.