Stanley Cup Finals Preview and Prediction

On the eve of the Stanley Cup Finals, I will breakdown the matchup of the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils, by looking at advantages and key players for both teams. I will conclude with my prediction of who I believe will hoist the Stanley Cup this season.

Goaltending Matchup: Jonathan Quick & Martin Brodeur

Kings: Jonathan Quick
Quick had an excellent regular season, but his postseason has been extraordinary. In the playoffs, he holds a 12-2 record, with a 1.54 GAA and a .946 save percentage. Quick rarely has a bad game, and as a result, the Kings never seem to be out of it.

Devils: Martin Brodeur
Brodeur may be the greatest goalie in NHL history, but does he still have it at age 40? He definitely made some mistakes in the series with the Rangers, but the Devils still moved on.  Brodeur's statistics might not be as good as Quick, but the bottomline is that he is a winner.

Advantage: Even

Defensemen Matchup: Drew Doughty & Bryce Salvador

Kings' Defensemen
Drew Doughty is the headliner for what has been a stellar defensive group. Veterans Willie Mitchell, Rob Scuderi, and Matt Greene are playing some of the best hockey of their careers as well. Sophomore Alec Martinez and rookie Slava Voynoy have shown calm nerves so far. This unit plays physical, lockdown defense. Through 14 games in the playoffs, they have only given up more than two goals only twice.

Devils' Defensemen
Bryce Salvador's 11 points lead all defensemen in the Finals. Anton Volchenkov and Marek Zidlicky are a pair of blueliners who let little by them. Andy Greene and Mark Fayne have played notably well as well. This group has gotten progressively better throughout the playoffs.

Advantage: Kings

Forwards Matchup: Dustin Brown & Ilya Kovalchuk

Kings' Forwards
In my opinion, the Kings top line of Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Justin Williams has been the best line in the playoffs. The midseason acquisition of Jeff Carter has proved to be a dandy, as the Kings reunited him with former teammate Mike Richards. The two of them form another dynamic line with Dustin Penner.

Devils' Forwards
Ilya Kovalchuk is of the big name in this group, but the Devils have been getting contributions from many players. Zach Parise and Dainius Zubrus have played very well. You can never forget veteran Patrik Elias. Rookie Adam Henrique scored the winning goal in the Rangers series.

Advantage: Kings


Prediction
Anything is possible in this year's playoffs. Who would have guessed we would end up with the Kings, the #8 seed in the West, and the Devils, the #6 in the East, in the Finals? That being said, the Kings have been the more dominant team up until this point. I believe that will be the case as well in this hard fought battle. The Kings have generated offense across the board, and the willingness of their forwards to forecheck has been crucial to the team's success. Their defense has been rock solid, and the consistency of Jonathan Quick has been incredible. What I have liked most about the Kings in the playoffs is the fact that they never seem to be out of it. They rarely trail by a large margin, which means they also have a shot at winning. I believe the Kings will prevail in an entertaining and exciting series.

My prediction: Kings in 6 games