Stanley Cup Finals: History Will be Made

The Stanley Cup Finals matchup was determined this past week, when the New Jersey Devils defeated New York Rangers 3-2 in an overtime thriller. The No. 6 seed Devils captured the series victory over the No. 1 seed Rangers in a demanding 4-2 series. The Devils were the underdogs in this series and silenced the critics by being the Eastern Conference Champions. They defeated the Rangers in two out of the three games played on the road at Madison Square Garden and won the final three games of the series. The Devils look to rely on outstanding goaltending by 21-year veteran, Martin Brodeur and a dynamic offense to lead the team to their fourth Stanley Cup.

Barely making the 2012 playoffs, the No. 8 seed Los Angeles Kings have rolled through their competition with quiet ease. They've only lost two games in the first three rounds, one game against Vancouver Canucks and one game against Phoenix Coyotes. In the first round of the playoffs, Kings shocked many hockey fans and analysts by defeating the defending Western Conference Finals Champions, No. 1 seed Vancouver Canucks in a statement making, 4-1 series. The second round, Kings destroyed No. 2 seed St. Louis Blues. Kings swept them in four straight games. To advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, Kings had to face No. 3 seed Phoenix Coyotes. The Kings started off the series winning three straight games. With losing Game 4 in a 2-0 shutout The No. 8 seed Kings rained victorious in Game 5 to win the series 4-1, winning the Western Conference and advancing to their second Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history. The last time the Kings made it to the finals was in 1993, Kings look to continue the explosive offensive attack led by Dustin Brown, Mike Richards, Anze Kopitar, and Dustin Penner. They will also reply heavily on the sensational goaltending from one of the up and coming young goalies with a bright future, Jonathan Quick. The Kings attempt to win their first ever Stanley Cup Championship but in order to do that, they must defeat a team who's been there before and has strong veteran leadership.

The only time these two teams met in the regular season was back in October as they faced off in both New Jersey and Los Angeles. The Devils were victorious in both meetings, outscoring the Kings 5-1 between the two games. Many may consider this to mean that the Devils will have the advantage entering this series, but since reuniting Jeff Carter with his buddy Mike Richards, the Kings have won 25 of the last 35 games played dating back to February 23. (Acquired from Columbus Blue Jackets for Jack Johnson and a first round draft pick)
No matter the outcome this will be the first time in NHL history that two American-born captains (Dustin Brown, Kings and Zach Parise, Devils) will face off in the Stanley Cup finals, and the winner will join Derian Hatcher as the only two U.S. born captains from a Stanley Cup winning team.


This leads to the questions: Will the kings make NHL history by winning their first ever Stanley Cup, or will the Devils win their fourth Stanley Cup, with Martin Brodeur become the 2nd goaltender to win the Stanley Cup in three different decades? Will the Kings continue to dominate with ease, or will the Devils experience slow down the Kings hot streak?

Stay tuned for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals hosted in New Jersey, Wednesday, May 30th at 8 PM ET