NEW YORK, N.Y. - On the verge of winning the Stanley Cup, Drew Doughty remembers what it was like facing the same 3-0 hole the Rangers have now when the Kings faced the Sharks in the first round.
What he recalled does not reflect kindly on the likes of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle.
"Once we won that first game of the San Jose series, we kind of had a feeling we were going to come back and win that series," Doughty said Wednesday several hours before Game 4 of the final. "And you could see it in their eyes and their team and their captains and leaders that they were worried about us coming back. So we don't want to give these guys any life."
As much as Doughty was complimenting his team for putting fear into the Sharks, it certainly can be construed as a shot at a core group that will more than likely see some changes after yet another playoff disappointment.
On Tuesday, coach Darryl Sutter pointed all the way back to Game 1 for the seeds of the Kings' comeback against the Sharks.
"We could see we're not a team somebody says, go away, and we go away," Sutter said. "We're a team that's going to respond."
Even when the Kings fell behind three games to none, Sutter thought it would all come together.
"I saw that in period one of Game 3," he said. "We knew we were winning the series; it just took a little bit longer."
The Rangers gave up a goal with 0.7 seconds left in the first period of Game 3 in the final and seemed to do little in the way of foreshadowing a similar comeback.
Follow @SWhyno on Twitter
NHL.com is the official web site of the National Hockey League. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, the Stanley Cup Final logo, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL. TV, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It's The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, and Don't Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. © NHL 2018. All Rights Reserved. All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. © Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2018. All Rights Reserved. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.