The Kings beat the Devils 6-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals to win their first Cup in franchise history, and you can point to a first period penalty committed by Steve Bernier as the game’s turning point.
Bernier got a five-minute boarding penalty and game misconduct for slamming Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi into the boards behind the Kings net midway through the first period. Devils coach Peter DeBoer didn’t think Bernier deserved a game misconduct, but Bernier went straight for Scuderi instead of the puck and checked him viciously into the boards.
The Kings were then on a man advantage and rattled off three goals in the next 3:58 as if they were facing a rec league goalie.
With Jonathan Quick in net, that’s all they needed. They added another goal in the second, and two more in the third including an empty-netter.
Bernier’s five-minute penalty was the difference in the game and has landed him on the list of biggest Stanley Cup goats and subjected his Wikipedia page to defacement. Face it Devils fans, being down 3-0 in the series you probably weren’t coming all the way back anyhow.
