After almost a week of waiting, the Stanley Cup Finals will finally get underway when the Los Angeles Kings visit the New Jersey Devils for Game 1.
The Kings come in feeling good having lost just two games this postseason, while the Devils are a surprise in their own right. But which team has the edge?
Offensively, there is a ton of talent for each team. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown have been great, while Jersey’s big names in Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise, have been great as well. Overall, the Kings might have more talent offensively, between Kopitar, Brown, Mike Richards, and Jeff Carter, as well as the role players like Dustin Penner and Dwight King, but don’t sleep on the Devils.
Defensively, there is not a better team in the National Hockey League than LA. It’s a stout, smart group that knows how to handle a forecheck. And when you’ve got the best goaltender in the league behind you, in Jonathan Quick, it makes life much easier.
I’ve picked the Kings in each round to this point and I’m doing it again. They have so much talent all over and are playing at such a high level, I like them to take this series in six games.
Randy Holt is the NHL Network Manager for www.RantSports.com
[...] NHL Stanley Cup Finals: Preview and Prediction [...]