It’s time for the Stanley Cup Finals! Representing the
Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers bested the Montreal Canadiens to earn
their ticket to this round. In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Kings
took the Chicago Blackhawks to 7 games in their conference final to arrive at
this point.
There are many ways to assess this match-up. I will look at
some of the reasons why this will be an amazing series to watch:
Goaltending: New
York’s Henrik Lundqvist comes into this stage of the playoffs with a team
record for playoff wins (42) and an impressive amount of post-season shut-outs
(9). He is the force that keeps the Rangers in the game. After a loss, he
places the burden on himself and rebounds from the following contest with
stellar numbers.
Los Angeles’ Jonathan
Quick is just as good as Henrik. A one-time Stanley Cup champion
goaltender, Quick is a worthy competitor on the other side of the ice. It
should be worth mentioning that he withstood the offensive force of the Chicago
Blackhawks and stood tall at series’ end.
Advantage: Even- Fans can expect close games and overtimes
throughout this series with these two in net.
Growing up Teammates:
Both the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings benefit from having
a youthful team that matured within the American Hockey League, which is the
main team’s farm system. The Western Conference Champions-the Kings- can say
the following were a part of their Manchester Monarchs affiliate:
Forwards-Dwight King, Trevor Lewis, Jordan Nolan, Tyler Toffoli;
Defensemen-Alec Martinez, Jake Muzzin, Slava Voynov; Goaltender: Martin Jones
For the Eastern
Conference champions, the Rangers have plenty of players in their system
that called the XL Center in Hartford their training ground. The following have
been teammates on the Hartford Wolfpack/Connecticut Whale: Forwards-Carl
Hagelin, Chris Kreider, Oscar Lindberg, J.T. Miller, Mats Zuccarello;
Goatender: Cam Talbot.
Advantage: Los
Angeles- The youth movement on that team formed early on and forged a strong
bond
Team-Swap-NHL Edition: The drive to prove that the team
that traded you was wrong to do so is stronger when the Stanley Cup is on the
line. Marian Gaborik of the Los Angeles Kings has to prove his
injury-prone ways and lack of offensive contribution while in New York are
behind him. He came to L.A. via Columbus and those players the Rangers got in
exchange- John Moore, Derek Dorsett, Derik Brassard - have been the key to New
York’s playoff run. Much like those players, Gaborik has been a spark for the
Kings in this post-season as he has at least 8 goals (including a game winning
goal May 3rd, 2014 against Anaheim), and 4 assists in his playoff run.
Brian Boyle of the
New York Rangers does not have a real reason to hold a grudge toward his
former team, the Kings. Sent to New York for L.A.’s 3rd Round 2010
draft pick in 2009, he has had to earn his spot on a competitive Rangers
roster. His scoring stats are not as prolific as Marian Gaborik’s, but his
ability to set up plays makes him a valuable member of the Broadway Blueshirts.
His attitude can set a pace for the game.
Advantage:
Even-Both Gaborik and Boyle can tilt the balance of a game into their team’s
favor
Players to Watch: Los
Angeles Kings: Defensemen Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin; Forwards Tyler
Toffoli, and Marian Gaborik
New York Rangers:
Defenseman Ryan McDonaugh; Forwards Carl Hagelin, Martin St. Louis, and Mats
Zuccarello
Finals commence Wednesday. The contest is pretty even when
you consider the factors of youth, speed, and goaltending. It should be
entertaining to see who will win this match-up: a team called the Kings or the
team that stands by “King” Henrik Lundqvist?
Sources include: www.nhl.com
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