2012 Stanley Cup Final — "Get Shorty"

Two worthy and talented teams have advanced to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, which *should* garner tremendous interest and coverage in the two largest media markets in the United States.  Neither the Los Angeles Kings nor the New Jersey Devils are fluke teams, but four critical contrasts exist between them.

New Jersey Devils
(Eastern Conference, 6th seed)

The Devils had a strong regular season (48-28-6, 102 pts) and have played well and consistently under coach Peter DeBoer.  They bested the Florida Panthers and the Philadelphia Flyers in their Eastern Conference quarter- and semi-finals, respectively, and then stymied the inconsistent New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.

Runnin' with the Devil(s)
The Devils are a deep team front-to-back and can roll four lines.  Future Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur has played well most of the time, but has had a few rocky outings, including in the Devils' series-clinching Game 6 against the Rangers at The Rock.
 

Los Angeles Kings
(Western Conference, 8th seed)

In stark contrast to the Devils, the Kings stumbled out of the gate, but following a mid-season coaching change, they have played far better under Darryl Sutter.  Yet, the Kings were bumped down to the eighth seed in the West on the final night of the regular season, when they lost to the San Jose Sharks in OT at The Shark Tank.

Kings of the road
But once the playoffs started, the Kings exploded, reeling off three straight wins against the President's Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks and shocking most of the hockey world on their way to a 4-1 series win.  The surprises continued against second-seeded Saint Louis Blues; the Kings methodically dispatched this very strong (and very well-coached!) team in four straight.  The Phoenix Coyotes put up a strong fight, but ultimately could not counter the goal-scoring depth of the Kings' four lines and bowed in overtime of Game 6.  However, the Kings will need better power-play production in the Final; playing with a man advantage has not been much of an advantage.

Four Degrees

From this writer's perch on "the second deck," four important contrasts are worth noting:

1. Thus far, the Devils have not faced a team that can consistently score in bunches, if necessary.
2. The Kings have played stunningly well on the road and in a fairly straightforward manner, without a lot of drama — save the war that erupted in overtime of Game 6 of the WCF.
3. As great as Martin Brodeur has been for the Devils, Jonathan Quick has had to be just slightly better against mostly stronger and well-seasoned opponents.
4. The Kings have, thus far, torched their playoff opponents for five (!) short-handed goals.  In 2000 and 2003, the Devils won the Stanley Cup in part because of John Madden's ability to "Get Shorty."  But during this Stanley Cup Final, Dustin Brown and Anže Kopitar, both of whom already have a pair of shorties this spring, may very well haunt the Devils in the same way — especially at The Rock in Game 2.

Tor says:

The Devils will win Games 1 and 5 at The Rock, but that's it.  Kings in six.