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The New York Rangers saved themselves from a sweep by standing strong against the Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League (NHL) of the Stanley Cup Finals held in Madison Square Garden.

Under the tenacious defense of Ranger goalie Henrik Lundqvist, he was able to make 40 saves coming from a relentless Kings offense led by team captain Dustin Brown and extended the best-of-seven series to game 5 scheduled Friday.

"They threw everything they had at us. Our goaltender stood tall, gave us a chance," said Ranger head coach Alain Vigneault.

"I've been in the game a long time to know that sometimes the hockey gods are there," added Vigneault. "They were there tonight."

The Rangers got goals from Benoit Pouliot and Martin St. Louis against the Kings' single goal coming from their captain Brown. Final score stands at 2-1 with the series now at 3-1 in favor of Los Angeles.

"We would have liked to finish it tonight but having the next game back at home, that is where we are comfortable," said Kings' defenseman Drew Doughty.

Game 5 will be held at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, California where the Kings aim for their second Stanley Cup since winning it in 2012.

The Rangers, although nearly impossible, still has a shot at the cup if they win against the Kings in three more successive outings; a feat that was done by the Toronto Maple Leafs 72 years ago against the Detroit Red Wings.

The final period was the turning point when the hockey puck slid past Lundqvist and landed straight onto the goal line before Ranger Derek Stepan tapped the puck back to Lundqvist to save them of having to go into overtime.

"It was a good hockey game. I thought both teams played very well," said Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter.

Tagsice hockey, hockey, jonathan quick, Los Angeles, madison square garden, nhl, nhl finals