#6 New Jersey Devils vs. #8 Los Angeles Kings
There isn’t much for me to say that hasn’t been said before about these teams. Yes, I underestimated the Devils in the series against the Flyers, but I knew what they were capable of. I just expected more out of the Flyers in that series, but they did exactly what I expected them to do to a tired New York Rangers. They tore right through them. Sure, the games were close, but the Devils had them where they wanted them the entire series. It’s kind of sad that the team that gave the Devils the biggest trouble was Florida.
As for LA, I knew that they would beat Phoenix, but that didn’t mean that I wanted them to. The first two games were all LA, all of the time. The Coyotes came out flat and they weren’t prepared to play such a fast or physical game. To be honest, the officiating in that series was horrendous all around, but most of it was against Phoenix. I’m not going to call conspiracy and say that they did it because they didn’t want them in the Finals. That’s silly, but the referees did miss a lot of calls at big moments in each game, so it was kind of disappointing in that respect. Do I think that Phoenix would have won if the officiating had been a bit better? Probably not. They were still getting outplayed, but I think that they might have had a chance to squeak by in 7.
For this series, it’s going to be about stars. It’s going to be about depth. It’s going to be about goalies and it’s going to be about defense.
Yes, I realize that I just named every player on both teams, but that’s what it is about for these clubs. That is what got both of these teams as far as they have come.
Kovalchuk and Parise will be important players in this series for the Devils, just as Brown and Kopitar will be for the Kings. It shall be interesting to see if Jeff Carter decides to show up (yeah, I know he had a hat trick. Two 5-on-3 goals and a puck that hit him before it went in the net), but the Kings could use him. Also, it’s amazing that Penner has kept up his level of play. For the Devils, Zajac, Henrique and Clarkson have been wonderful and I can’t even imagine how scary the Devils will be if Ellias gets into it a little bit more.
As far as goaltending, Quick looked mortal in the round against Phoenix. He didn’t pull the same quick saves that he pulled against the Blues and the Canucks. He let in some soft ones (including one from the red line), so it will be interesting to see which Quick we get (not that both of them aren’t beyond incredible, because they are) and Brodeur has played stellar. He has silenced most critics (including me) with his play and it has been consistent. I am impressed by how well he has been playing throughout the playoffs.
In the end, this series is going to be tight. Everyone knows that, but everyone is also doing the same thing that I did in the Flyers series. They are underestimating the Devils and because of that, I’m going to have to say that New Jersey pulls it out in 7. Why? Because these teams are both strong and they are playing with the will to win as a team. I think that they will split the games until they get back to New Jersey, where NJ takes the series and the cup.
Conn Smythe to Kovalchuk (and Brown if the Kings win).
Prediction: Devils in 7
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