Kings close in on their first Stanley Cup

LOS ANGELES -- Although Mike Richards has been in Los Angeles for less than a year, he has a pretty good idea what 45 years of simmering frustration will sound like when his Kings take the ice with the Stanley Cup in reach.

"That's probably one of the loudest rinks I've ever played in, and it's going to be even louder tomorrow," the center said Sunday, already anticipating the energy at Staples Center for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight.

A coronation just feels imminent for these Kings, who opened the Finals by adding two more victories in New Jersey to the longest run of road perfection in NHL playoff history -- 10-0 this season, and 12-0 dating to last season.

Now that the Kings are back home on the West Coast, the Stanley Cup has never been closer to going Hollywood.

Los Angeles is two wins away from claiming the franchise's first title and burying 4 1/2 decades of monotonous ineptitude interrupted only by short stretches of brilliance from Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne and a few other stars. These Kings have abruptly erased this club's tedious reputation with a 14-2 playoff run that has few equals in NHL history.

"I don't think I've ever been on a team like this where everybody is locked in," said Jeff Carter, whose persistence on the puck led to the overtime goal that won Game 2. "Everybody knows what they need to do to go out on the ice and get it done."

No playoff opponent has tested the Kings as thoroughly as the Devils, who would have needed only a stray deflection or a shot under the crossbar to reverse this series' results. New Jersey has limited the Kings' shots, tested star goalie Jonathan Quick and twice forced extra time by holding Los Angeles to just one regulation goal in each game.

"A big win tomorrow would definitely change everything around," goalie Martin Brodeur said after the Devils' brief workout. "I think we're going the right direction. We're playing well. We're not getting outplayed. We're in a position to turn this series around."