So it's all set! The final stretch is about to begin!
This has been one entertaining playoffs! Who would have thought: the 6th seed Devils as home favorites against the 8th seed LA Kings.
Of course, those who have been following hockey since training camp are not too surprised to see the Kings in the Finals as many predicted them to finish on top of their division/conference in September. Naturally, it took them a little while to gel and a few changes along the way aloud them to create the possibility of being a Cup contender. And they did just that.
As for the Devils, well that's a nice surprise. The majority of the so-called experts didn't give them much of a chance to aspire to this chance and here they are. Great story!
You have probably seen many comparisons between both teams during this extended pause before the Cup Finals. So if you are tired of them, you can skip this part. I just need to express what's inside my head so I can re-read myself during the series.
The players any team would want to have in their lineup on the Devils squad: Parise, Kovalchuk, Zajac and Brodeur.
The players any team would want to have in their lineup on the Kings squad: Kopitar, Brown, Richards, Doughty and Quick.
The players that are invaluable to the Devils: Henrique, Zubrus, Elias and Clarkson.
The players that are invaluable to the Kings: Stoll, Penner, Williams and Carter.
The shutdown defensemen on the Devils: Salavador and Volchenkov.
The sutdown defensemen on the Kings: Mitchell and Scuderi.
The "I complete you, you complete me" players: the rest.
But the rest, IMO, will probably determine how this series plays on. So far the edge goes to NJ with clutch performances from their 3rd and 4th lines. Can the likes of King, Nolan, Richardson and especially Lewis overshadow their success?
The Devils had 3 tougher opponents in Florida, Philadelphia and NY Rangers and a much tougher road to conquer to get where they are.
The Kings had "weaker" opponents in Vancouver (Daniel Sedin injury/Luongo), St-Louis (Elliott weak performance) and Phoenix (Cinderella team) but each series score also indicated this fact.
The Devils have looked really good since they came out of the 1st round, for all the reasons others have been expressing on the Forum for the last week or so. They dominated the Flyers and overpowered the Rangers. But I think they are about to face a much bigger challenge in this series.
The Kings have looked good all through the playoffs. They already are in the playoff history books and will follow through in this round against the Devils, who will put up a valiant effort. The Kings are a superior team and if they continue following Sutter's coaching, Dustin Brown will lift the Cup and the Conn Smythe trophy in LA, 6 games from now.
All the best to everyone and enjoy the Stanley Cup Finals! :0074 :0008
P.S. I have to mention that I have this play in since the end of March, which may deter my judgement a little...
115527253-2 3/29/12 8:18am $100.00 $2,500.00 Pending 3/29/12 7:05pm Hockey NHL
+2500 Stanley Cup 2011-2012 - Los Angeles Kings
This has been one entertaining playoffs! Who would have thought: the 6th seed Devils as home favorites against the 8th seed LA Kings.
Of course, those who have been following hockey since training camp are not too surprised to see the Kings in the Finals as many predicted them to finish on top of their division/conference in September. Naturally, it took them a little while to gel and a few changes along the way aloud them to create the possibility of being a Cup contender. And they did just that.
As for the Devils, well that's a nice surprise. The majority of the so-called experts didn't give them much of a chance to aspire to this chance and here they are. Great story!
You have probably seen many comparisons between both teams during this extended pause before the Cup Finals. So if you are tired of them, you can skip this part. I just need to express what's inside my head so I can re-read myself during the series.
The players any team would want to have in their lineup on the Devils squad: Parise, Kovalchuk, Zajac and Brodeur.
The players any team would want to have in their lineup on the Kings squad: Kopitar, Brown, Richards, Doughty and Quick.
The players that are invaluable to the Devils: Henrique, Zubrus, Elias and Clarkson.
The players that are invaluable to the Kings: Stoll, Penner, Williams and Carter.
The shutdown defensemen on the Devils: Salavador and Volchenkov.
The sutdown defensemen on the Kings: Mitchell and Scuderi.
The "I complete you, you complete me" players: the rest.
But the rest, IMO, will probably determine how this series plays on. So far the edge goes to NJ with clutch performances from their 3rd and 4th lines. Can the likes of King, Nolan, Richardson and especially Lewis overshadow their success?
The Devils had 3 tougher opponents in Florida, Philadelphia and NY Rangers and a much tougher road to conquer to get where they are.
The Kings had "weaker" opponents in Vancouver (Daniel Sedin injury/Luongo), St-Louis (Elliott weak performance) and Phoenix (Cinderella team) but each series score also indicated this fact.
The Devils have looked really good since they came out of the 1st round, for all the reasons others have been expressing on the Forum for the last week or so. They dominated the Flyers and overpowered the Rangers. But I think they are about to face a much bigger challenge in this series.
The Kings have looked good all through the playoffs. They already are in the playoff history books and will follow through in this round against the Devils, who will put up a valiant effort. The Kings are a superior team and if they continue following Sutter's coaching, Dustin Brown will lift the Cup and the Conn Smythe trophy in LA, 6 games from now.
All the best to everyone and enjoy the Stanley Cup Finals! :0074 :0008
P.S. I have to mention that I have this play in since the end of March, which may deter my judgement a little...
115527253-2 3/29/12 8:18am $100.00 $2,500.00 Pending 3/29/12 7:05pm Hockey NHL
+2500 Stanley Cup 2011-2012 - Los Angeles Kings
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