The Stanley Cup Final begins tonight in New Jersey where the Eastern Conference Champion Devils will host the Western Conference Champion L.A. Kings.
What makes the matchup unique this year is that I can’t recall anybody predicting a Kings-Devils Final- and with good reason.
While the Devils had an impressive 102 point season, they were 6th amongst the teams that qualified for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Undaunted by their seeding, New Jersey eliminated # 3 Florida, # 5 Philadelphia and finally the # 1 seed in the East, the New York Rangers.
The Kings had a strong finish picking up points in 8 of their last ten games, potentially a sign they were playoff ready. LA surged into the playoffs as the # 8 seed in the West and promptly wiped up the top 3 in the West; Vancouver, then St Louis and finally Phoenix.
Even more remarkable is LA’s playoff success on the road where they’ve won every time out in the post season going 8 & 0 away from the Staples Centre.
If the Kings win their road games in this series, there’s a very good chance they’ll capture their first Stanley Cup, leaving the Leafs and St Louis as the longest non-Stanley Cup winners, dating back to 1967.
I’m Fred Wallace