Los Angeles had home ice advantage in the series, as the Kings finished with a better regular season record than the Rangers. The series started on June 4, and ended on June 13 with the Kings winning their second Stanley Cup in three years. It was the first playoff meeting between teams from New York City and Los Angeles for a major professional sports championship since the Yankees and the Dodgers played in the 1981 World Series. 1981 was also the last time the Rangers and the Kings had met in the postseason, where the Rangers eliminated the Kings during the preliminary round of the playoffs.