After 3 rounds of the playoffs, we are left with two teams fighting for the once in a lifetime chance to hoist Lord Stanley. I must say that the two teams competing are definitely a surprise to many, as I bet few people had both the Kings and Devils going to the cup. With that being said, here is my Stanley Cup Finals Prediction:
6. New Jersey vs. 8. Los Angeles - Both of these teams have taken impressive paths to get to the finals, and it is going to be one heck of a series. Starting with the Devils, they have beaten the Panthers, Flyers and Rangers en route to the Cup. They won the first series in game 7 OT, as rookie sensation Adam Henrique scored the winner. Then they dismantled the Flyers easily in 5, looking stronger as each game went on. The Conference Finals matchup vs. the Rangers looked very even, and through 3 games the Rangers had the 2-1 edge and looked to grab control. However, the Devils kicked it into high gear from game 4 on and won 3 straight games, including another OT series winner from Henrique in game 6. While the Devils are certainly on a roll right now, they are going to have their hands full with the feisty Kings. The Kings come into this series having beaten the #1, 2 and 3 seeds in the West in Vancouver, St. Louis and Phoenix. Not only have they done this in impressive style, but they have only lost twice in the entire playoffs and both of those game come at home (perfect 8-0 on the road). The Kings look like the team to beat in this matchup, but will certainly have their hands full with a talented Devils team. There are several important matchups to look at, and it starts in net. The Kings have the young Jon Quick, who has been the best goalie in the playoffs so far. For the Devils, the ageless Martin Brodeur has dipped into the fountain of youth and is playing some of his best hockey at age 40. The other big matchup will be the battle of the Captains, both Dustin Brown and Zach Parise have been equally as good for their respective teams as they both try to be the one to raise the Cup. This is going to be a great series, only time will tell who will be the Stanley Cup Champion in 2012
Players to Watch: NJD - Zach Parise, Martin Brodeur, Adam Henrique, Ilya Kovalchuk, Ryan Carter. LAK - Dustin Brown, Jon Quick, Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Dwight King
Prediction - This series is extremely hard to predict, as both teams are playing their best hockey at the right time. While I think (and want) the Devils to win the cup, I believe the Kings are too strong (especially with the potential return of Simon Gagne) and Dustin Brown will be lifting the Stanley Cup
(KINGS in 7)
This marks the end of my predictions for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I went 6-8 in round 1, 0-4 in round 2 and 2-2 in round 3. This will be a very exciting finals, and either team has a great chance of winning. Let the finals begin!
-Joel Forman - Colorado Avalanche News (STANLEY CUP FINAL EDITION)
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