Fast forward a month and a half and one can picture Kings GM Dean Lombardi nodding confidently saying "Fair trade." After a tumultuous season in which they had three head coaches, finished second to last in the league in scoring, and stumbled into the playoffs as an eighth seed, the LA Kings will play for the Stanley Cup starting tonight.
But let's not paint this as a Cinderella story or even as I suggested in March a Biggie Smalls story. In Captain Dustin Brown, and big forwards Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, and Jeff Carter the Kings possess arguably four of the league's top fifty forwards. Brown, Richards, and Kopitar are especially effective on both sides of the puck as well on the penalty kill where they have accounted for four of the Kings's five shorthanded goals. The Kings also wear down opponents with their gargantuan size up front: six of their top twelve forwards stand 6'2" or taller. This size wore down the Canucks, Blues, and Coyotes respectively as the opponent's d-men struggled to contain the Kings's physical presence in the corners and in front of the net.
On the back line, Drew Doughty leads a no-name but impressive supporting cast. Anyone who saw Doughty's stellar play as a 20 year old in the 2010 Olympics should not be surprised at the young defenseman's dominance in these playoffs. He contributes offensively with big bombs on the power play and smart shots from the point even strength. More than any other defenseman in these playoffs, Doughty avoids the opponents shins and finds his attackers' tapes as evidenced by this Anze Kopitar goal in the clinching game five. His intelligence on the offensive blueline is something to behold. Watch how Doughty patiently waits for the opposing forward's legs to open up just enough on this second period goal in the deciding game five:
He's third in defensemen scoring in the playoffs with ten points, only two back of leader Dan Girardi despite playing in six fewer games than Girardi. On the defensive side, Doughty sports an impressive +10 plus/minus rating while playing over twenty-five minutes per game. To put this into perspective, out of the twenty skaters who have averaged over twenty-five minutes of ice time in the playoffs only teammate Willie Mitchell at +8 comes close to Doughty's +10 mark. His sliding, swiping, defense of a Coyotes's three on one in game five displayed the former Norris Candidate's unquestionable defensive acumen. As good as Jonathan Quick has been, and he's been brilliant, the Doughty-led blueline has been integral to the Kings's success thus far.
Jonathan Quick. To quote Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."
From the east come the equally surprising Devils of New Jersey. On their way to the Cup they dispatched their two biggest rivals in decidedly devilish fashion. The Flyers assumed the role of cup favorites after they survived the favorite Penguins in six, but they became victims of hubris as the pesky yet skilled Devils took care of them in five games. Up next for the Devils came the vaunted New York Rangers, the East's best team all season long. The Devils exorcised the demons of 1994 by eliminating the Rangers on the same day as Messier's famous guarantee. John Tortorella repeatedly refuted the claim that his team was tired after playing two grueling seven game series in a row. "We are not a tired hockey team," he claimed in typical Torts fashion. Well if they weren't at the start of the series, they certainly were at the end. The Devils have survived this postseason on a ferocious forecheck led by do-it-all captain Zach Parise as well as gritty depth in the likes of Steven "AHL" Gionta, Steve Bernier, and Ryan Carter. The three make up a fourth line that has seemingly dished out as many big goals as they have hits. In decisive games five and six, Bernier, Carter, and Gionta combined for seven points as the Devils closed out the Blue Shirts. Not only did they score, but the checking line inflicted wear and tear on the Rangers steady d-corps. The usually dependable Marc Staal made two ill-advised offensive zone decisions that cost his squad goals in their last two losses. He dove mindlessly into a corner to try to keep a play alive only to lie prone on the ice as the Devils scored on the odd-man rush the other way. In game six, it was a bad pinch that led to this Ryan Carter goal that opened the scoring. It wasn't just Staal who struggled to play up to his standard late in the series. The Devils wore down the Rangers top d-pairing of Ryan McDonugh and Dan Girardi to the point of exhaustion. In the overtime of game 6, it was McDonugh who failed to close the gap after a turnover in the neutral zone. As desperation set in, all he could do was flail on the ice and hope.
Torts can talk all he wants but "non-tired" hockey players make those plays. Credit the Devils for their relentless play.
Let's also not limit the Devils to a lunch-pail hockey team whose work ethic carries the team further than its skill. In many ways they are still trying to remove the black mark of the "trap" from their franchise. Their formulaic system that clogged up the neutral zone in the late 90's and early 2000's led to three Stanley Cups in nine seasons and ushered in the dead puck era. But these guys have an abundance of skill. On the backline, Marek Zidlicky brings excellent on-ice vision to a power play that sorely lacked inspiration. Ilya Kovalchuk is doing all he can to remove the underachieving Russian stigma. He leads the playoffs in scoring with eighteen points. Throw in offensive stalwarts Parise, Patrik Elias, as well as underrated Dainus Zubrus and Travis Zajac, and the Devils put out a diverse and skilled lineup on a nightly basis.
Who Wins? Both teams have seemed unbeatable in recent rounds of the playoffs, which is great because we all want a seven game series. This could come down, as it so often does, to the goaltending for both teams. Jonathan Quick has been stellar for the Kings and will walk away with the Conn Smythe should the Kings emerge victorious. Martin Brodeur has looked shaky at times, but his distribution of the puck renders him a third defenseman on the Devils breakout. This in turn, limits the opposition's forecheck and constantly has the opponents retreating into the neutral zone. He hasn't needed to be spectacular. Yet. The Kings have so much size up front that stopping them from getting to the net will prove to be impossible. If the Devils can limit the Kings's chances in close, something the Blues and Coyotes failed to do, they could win this series. But even if they do, they still have to travel across the country after visiting neighbors in the previous two rounds. Quick shows no signs of weakness, and the Kings possess scoring depth that matches New Jersey's. Game one could effectively decide everything. This is a Kings team that has taken three-nothing leads in each of its first three series. How will they react to adversity should they lose game one? It will be a moot point because I don't think they will lose. I like the Kings in 6, but watch for the brooms.
Doesn't this goal look familiar?
He's third in defensemen scoring in the playoffs with ten points, only two back of leader Dan Girardi despite playing in six fewer games than Girardi. On the defensive side, Doughty sports an impressive +10 plus/minus rating while playing over twenty-five minutes per game. To put this into perspective, out of the twenty skaters who have averaged over twenty-five minutes of ice time in the playoffs only teammate Willie Mitchell at +8 comes close to Doughty's +10 mark. His sliding, swiping, defense of a Coyotes's three on one in game five displayed the former Norris Candidate's unquestionable defensive acumen. As good as Jonathan Quick has been, and he's been brilliant, the Doughty-led blueline has been integral to the Kings's success thus far.
Jonathan Quick. To quote Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."
From the east come the equally surprising Devils of New Jersey. On their way to the Cup they dispatched their two biggest rivals in decidedly devilish fashion. The Flyers assumed the role of cup favorites after they survived the favorite Penguins in six, but they became victims of hubris as the pesky yet skilled Devils took care of them in five games. Up next for the Devils came the vaunted New York Rangers, the East's best team all season long. The Devils exorcised the demons of 1994 by eliminating the Rangers on the same day as Messier's famous guarantee. John Tortorella repeatedly refuted the claim that his team was tired after playing two grueling seven game series in a row. "We are not a tired hockey team," he claimed in typical Torts fashion. Well if they weren't at the start of the series, they certainly were at the end. The Devils have survived this postseason on a ferocious forecheck led by do-it-all captain Zach Parise as well as gritty depth in the likes of Steven "AHL" Gionta, Steve Bernier, and Ryan Carter. The three make up a fourth line that has seemingly dished out as many big goals as they have hits. In decisive games five and six, Bernier, Carter, and Gionta combined for seven points as the Devils closed out the Blue Shirts. Not only did they score, but the checking line inflicted wear and tear on the Rangers steady d-corps. The usually dependable Marc Staal made two ill-advised offensive zone decisions that cost his squad goals in their last two losses. He dove mindlessly into a corner to try to keep a play alive only to lie prone on the ice as the Devils scored on the odd-man rush the other way. In game six, it was a bad pinch that led to this Ryan Carter goal that opened the scoring. It wasn't just Staal who struggled to play up to his standard late in the series. The Devils wore down the Rangers top d-pairing of Ryan McDonugh and Dan Girardi to the point of exhaustion. In the overtime of game 6, it was McDonugh who failed to close the gap after a turnover in the neutral zone. As desperation set in, all he could do was flail on the ice and hope.
Let's also not limit the Devils to a lunch-pail hockey team whose work ethic carries the team further than its skill. In many ways they are still trying to remove the black mark of the "trap" from their franchise. Their formulaic system that clogged up the neutral zone in the late 90's and early 2000's led to three Stanley Cups in nine seasons and ushered in the dead puck era. But these guys have an abundance of skill. On the backline, Marek Zidlicky brings excellent on-ice vision to a power play that sorely lacked inspiration. Ilya Kovalchuk is doing all he can to remove the underachieving Russian stigma. He leads the playoffs in scoring with eighteen points. Throw in offensive stalwarts Parise, Patrik Elias, as well as underrated Dainus Zubrus and Travis Zajac, and the Devils put out a diverse and skilled lineup on a nightly basis.
Who Wins? Both teams have seemed unbeatable in recent rounds of the playoffs, which is great because we all want a seven game series. This could come down, as it so often does, to the goaltending for both teams. Jonathan Quick has been stellar for the Kings and will walk away with the Conn Smythe should the Kings emerge victorious. Martin Brodeur has looked shaky at times, but his distribution of the puck renders him a third defenseman on the Devils breakout. This in turn, limits the opposition's forecheck and constantly has the opponents retreating into the neutral zone. He hasn't needed to be spectacular. Yet. The Kings have so much size up front that stopping them from getting to the net will prove to be impossible. If the Devils can limit the Kings's chances in close, something the Blues and Coyotes failed to do, they could win this series. But even if they do, they still have to travel across the country after visiting neighbors in the previous two rounds. Quick shows no signs of weakness, and the Kings possess scoring depth that matches New Jersey's. Game one could effectively decide everything. This is a Kings team that has taken three-nothing leads in each of its first three series. How will they react to adversity should they lose game one? It will be a moot point because I don't think they will lose. I like the Kings in 6, but watch for the brooms.
Doesn't this goal look familiar?
-Dillon Friday
