The playoffs began with 16 teams. Along the way 14 teams went down, most of them Cup favorites with high expectations. And then there were two. Welcome to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Two teams that started the season with little expectations exceeded them during three tough rounds of playoff hockey. Now they are the last two standing, and neither expects to lay a finger on one another.
(6) New Jersey Devils vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings
Regular Season: New Jersey won 2-0
The Kings made it to the finals with a mix of gutsy goaltending, solid forechecking and hitting, and penalty kill efficiency. They lost only twice on the way to the Finals, but own a perfect road record heading in, which may concern the Devils, who will have home ice advantage. However, the Devils did play dominant hockey as well, returning to the defensive-minded approach that served them in three Stanley Cup wins whilst remaining true to its offensive prowess.
The Kings ousted top-seeded Vancouver, second seed St. Louis, and third seed Phoenix, while the Devils took care of third seed Florida, fifth seed Philadelphia, and top-seeded New York Rangers. The Devils own three Cup wins, the Kings none, which may explain the added hunger and motivation for Los Angeles to join its sports brethren in the championship haul.
Behind the pipes, resurgent 40-year old Martin Brodeur faces breakout star Jonathan Quick. Brodeur may have experience, but Quick has the momentum, continuing his impressive play from the regular season. This time Quick received a lot of help from an inconsistent Kings offense, which caught fire, especially in short-handed situations. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown each scored shorthanded in the playoffs, while Dwight King, a minor-league pickup, showed plenty of offense during the run. The Kings' forecheck, trapping and hitting game will play its biggest role in the series. However, making up for the lack of championship pedigree is another story.
The Devils showed plenty of life offensively, led by its top scorers Ilya Kovalchuk, Travis Zajac and Zach Parise. Meanwhile, Andy Greene, Bryce Salvador and Marek Zidlicky's play evoked memories of the defense corps led by Ken Daneyko, Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens, at least on the defensive part. There is plenty of experience on the Devils camp, especially with Brodeur, Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora having won a Stanley Cup with the team. There is little doubt the Devils possess the mentality of a winner, especially with the presence of a few links from Cups past.
At the start of the season, little was expected for the Kings and the Devils. Now that they're four wins away from the Cup, what's more to expect? May the best team win.
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