New Jersey Devils (6) vs. Los Angeles Kings (8)
Season Series: New Jersey 2-0-0; Los Angeles 0-1-1
New Jersey, March/April (Playoffs): 13-5-2 (12-6)
Los Angeles, March/April (Playoffs): 11-4-3 (12-2)
New Jersey, leading playoff scorer: Ilya Kovalchuk, 7 G, 11 A, 18 Pts
Los Angeles, leading playoff scorer: Dustin Brown, 7 G, 9 A, 16 Pts
NEW JERSEY OFFENSE
A sneaky offense during the regular season has been exposed as a versatile, four-lines deep unit with exceptional top-six talent. They're fast, and they're excellent along the boards and in tight quarters. After adjusting his lines midway through the Rangers series, coach Peter DeBoer has found excellent chemistry with Patrik Elias shifting to left wing to play alongside clutch rookie center Adam Henrique and right wing Ilya Kovalchuk, who leads all skaters with 18 playoff points.
"His skill set's probably one of the best individual skill sets we've faced in the playoffs," Dustin Brown said of Kovalchuk. The Triple-Z line of Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and Dainius Zubrus lifted the production of all three; after Parise was a minus-4 with one point in the first three games of the New York series, he totaled three goals and five points in three games alongside his new linemates and drew praise from Kings center Anze Kopitar on Sunday. "He's just a hard-working guy with a lot of skill, so you have to outwork him and contain him as much as you can," Kopitar said.
Excellent depth provided by Ryan Carter, Stephen Gionta, Steve Bernier, 30-goal scorer David Clarkson and former King Alexei Ponikarovsky has eased any scoring burden, created challenges in matching lines and opened up more space for the top six. The Devils move the puck with ease on the power play, which at 18.2 percent is much healthier than the Kings' numbers. New Jersey has scored power play goals in seven of its last 11 games, and its 2.83 goals per game in the playoffs is only a touch off Los Angeles' brisk offensive pace.
TAKE NOTE OF: New Jersey's power play success. This will be an extremely difficult series to win if the Devils falter with the man advantage as Los Angeles' last three opponents have. Kovalchuk has eight power play points thus far, and if he can add another three or four to his total, odds are on New Jersey winning this series. It'll be a tall order against an aggressive penalty kill that has scored as many shorthanded goals as it has allowed power play goals (five).
NEW JERSEY DEFENSE
It has been said many, many times before that the best defense is a good offense, and the heavy forecheck established by the Devils' forwards this spring has had the greatest effect in lifting a solid, if unspectacular, defense. Opposing teams aren't experiencing as much space or speed through the neutral zone, easing the situations the defensemen are put in. It was a relentless forecheck that disrupted a Philadelphia Flyers team that dropped from five goals per game in its first round series against Pittsburgh to 2.2 goals per game in a flustered second-round effort. Parise, Clarkson and Zubrus have all contributed excellent forechecking habits this postseason.
While there are several reliable stay-at-home types on New Jersey's blue line, Bryce Salvador has size, can hit, and has really excelled in all situations as the Devils' best defenseman this postseason. His plus-10 rating matches Drew Doughty's as the high water mark among defensemen, while his 11 points – 10 of which have come at even strength – reflect his ability to push the action quickly up the ice. His defensive partner, Marek Zidlicky, tends to be more offensively inclined as a puck distributor, while the pairing of Andy Greene and Mark Fayne represent New Jersey's shut-down pairing. Anton Volchenkov's minutes are down from earlier in his career, though he remains a major physical presence. His partner, former King Peter Harrold, will see some special teams time but receives the fewest minutes.
"We like to say we play as five-man units up and down the ice," Andy Greene told Flyers Insider. "It's not one person in the offensive zone or defensive zone or the neutral zone."
Six-foot-3 potential-oozing rookie defender Adam Larsson could step in to provide minutes, as could veteran Henrik Tallinder, who has been sidelined since Jan. 17 because of a blood clot but has resumed practicing.
Bizarrely, New Jersey's penalty killing unit is operating at 74.2 percent, over 15 points lower than its league-leading 89.6 regular season mark.
TAKE NOTE OF: How New Jersey handles LA's size. Fayne and Salvador are 6'3'', though Greene, Zidlicky, Harrold and Volchenkov top out at 6'1''. The Kings are a puck possession team that uses its size to hit, create turnovers, and excel along the boards in the offensive end, and 6'3'' forwards Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Dwight King and reawakened 6'4'' forward Dustin Penner will all be looking to exploit their size and reach advantage. At 6'4'', Tallinder will see time in this series.
NEW JERSEY GOALTENDING
Backed up by the admirable first half minutes of Johan Hedberg, Martin Brodeur was allowed time to find his game during a long season. After a terrific second half, Brodeur has been among the league's best goaltenders in the playoffs. Proving that when you make the save is more important than how many saves you make, Brodeur's 4-1 overtime record this spring is what we'd expect from a goalie who has won three Stanley Cups. The Devils spend ample time in the offensive zone so Brodeur's shots-against numbers are quite low — New Jersey averages 27.6 shots against in the playoffs and allowed the second-fewest shots in the regular season.
"I don't think you can get him off his game," Mike Richards said of Brodeur. "He's seen pretty much as much as you can in the game of hockey. He's been around a while and been through anything, so I don't think you can get him off his game. We just have to try to get as many pucks as possible to him, try to get some traffic, and hopefully we get some lucky breaks."
TAKE NOTE OF: Brodeur's ability to establish himself early in this series. Los Angeles removed Roberto Luongo after two games in the Vancouver series before hanging some crooked numbers up on Brian Elliott and Mike Smith during the opening road games in Rounds 2 and 3. If Marty stands on his head and ends LA's road winning streak in Game 1, he'll force the Kings to deal with their first significant playoff adversity.
LOS ANGELES OFFENSE
The Kings' 29th-ranked regular season offense is as irrelevant as their No. 8 seeding. Outscoring their opponents by over 1.3 goals per game this postseason, LA's 2.93 goals per game has been a byproduct of the players' ability to move the puck quickly up the ice and establish puck possession in the offensive zone, similar to the Devils' habits. Carter appears fully healthy again and played his best games as a Los Angeles King in the Phoenix series. Along with linemates Penner and Richards, his presence has created difficulties in opposing line-matching, freeing up more space and opportunity for Brown, Kopitar and Justin Williams, who have combined for 42 points. Also similar to New Jersey's attack, the Kings are able to roll all four lines confidently. Rookie Dwight King had five goals in 27 regular season games before his five goals in 14 playoff games, while third-line right wing Trevor Lewis' puck protection and two-way responsibilities have been equally as impressive as his six points while averaging less than 15 minutes of ice time. They're a much faster team than they showed during the regular season and have been able to create chances off turnovers created by their forechecking.
It's scary to think that the Kings are 12-2 in the playoffs despite a woebegone power play that hasn't scored during a one-man advantage since Game 3 of the second round. This, of course, begs repetition of last year's Bruins team that was 5 for 61 on the power play before scoring five times in a seven-game upset of Vancouver in the Cup Final.
TAKE NOTE OF: Los Angeles' depth at center. No other team in hockey boasts as responsible of a crop of centers as the Kings, who have relied on Kopitar, Richards, Jarret Stoll and Colin Fraser heavily in their physical, two-way success. Former center Carter is also equipped to take faceoffs and brings an underrated defensive element to his line.
LOS ANGELES DEFENSE
Along with Jonathan Quick, LA's defense has been the most consistent asset of this team all season long. Having shaved off half a goal from their regular season goals-against numbers, the Kings' 1.57 goals against per game is easily the lowest average in the playoffs. By placing a stay-at-home type with a more aggressive puck mover, coach Darryl Sutter has found balance in his defense pairings and has awakened a monster in Drew Doughty, who enters this series playing the smartest hockey of his young career. It's no longer the power play blasts from the blue line that have come to represent Doughty's abilities; it's his dynamic essence in making a difference defensively, as he did during the heavy one-on-one take-down of Coyotes captain Shane Doan during a Game 3 win last series. Devils draftee Willie Mitchell averages over 25 minutes of ice time and is a positive presence for defensive partner Slava Voynov, the 22-year old rookie who likes to activate offensively and possesses a cannon of a shot. Alec Martinez is another puck-mover and power play point man, while Matt Greene and Rob Scuderi offer toughness and are among the league's better shot blockers. The forwards are also heavily relied upon in the team's defense, with the physical and irritating Brown and eminently responsible Kopitar leading a unit that also features terrific defensive forwards in Richards, Stoll, Lewis, Fraser and Jordan Nolan. Brown spoke on Sunday of the challenges facing a player with the skill set of Kovalchuk.
"He's big, he's strong, and he's fast," Brown said. "…I think it's important for guys just to get in his way because he's one of those players if you give him the time and the space, and the open ice to gather his speed, he's pretty hard to defend. If we can slow him down – and that's just a matter of guys stepping in front of him – it sounds repetitive, but it's the same thing against every team. You've got to make it hard on their top players, because if you don't, they'll make you pay."
TAKE NOTE OF: Los Angeles' penalty kill. Kopitar and Brown have played together on the kill for years and have developed a practically innate sense of where the other is on the ice. When paired with Doughty and Mitchell, they may be the most effective penalty killing unit in the league. Carter, Richards, Stoll and Lewis are the front line of a system that had killed off 30 consecutive power plays between Game 5 of their first round series against Vancouver and Game 4 of the Conference Final against Phoenix. If New Jersey's power play success is similar to that of LA's first three opponents, this will be an extremely difficult series for the Devils to win.
LOS ANGELES GOALTENDING
Quick isn't one to wax poetic about growing up and following the career of Martin Brodeur. "That was then, this is now," Quick said. "All we're worried about is Game 1. It's all we're thinking about." In addition to dousing potential new-guard-versus-old-guard storylines, he's also doused opposing offenses to the tune of a 1.54 GAA and .946 save percentage in the playoffs, numbers that surpass even his Vezina-considered regular season totals. He has been the Kings' best penalty killer and has allowed two goals or fewer in 12 of 14 playoff games.
TAKE NOTE OF: Quick's ability to handle the puck under pressure. "I have to be able to – if I can – play the puck, be able to try to create stuff for our defensemen so they're not getting rammed," he said last week. He had a rough exchange with Doughty early in the Phoenix series in which the puck ended up in the back of his net and will be tested again by New Jersey's ability to use speed to drive the puck deep into the attacking zone.
CONCLUSION: The palpable focus in the Kings locker room won't be disrupted as the series shifts to a much higher stage. Stanley Cup winners Williams, Penner, Fraser and Scuderi, and finalists Richards, Carter, Stoll and Greene have kept the club even keel despite the increased attention as postseason darlings. "We're just playing," Richards said. "We're just playing, and that's pretty much all it comes down to. We're not thinking about the big picture. We're just playing game by game. It's cliché and easy to say, but it's the truth. It's one game at a time. We've obviously had some success just doing so and taking it a game at a time and not trying to look at the big picture, but we've been fortunate. We've had some good bounces and timely goals and, obviously, timely goaltending, too."
While Sutter's Law of goaltenders, special teams, top players, unsung heroes and discipline determining playoff series still applies, we're putting extra emphasis on the special teams. The team that finds success on the power play will have a significant advantage in this series, as will the team that is able to successfully implement its forecheck to a greater degree than the opposition.
The Devils are 3-1 in the Final since 1995 and are 6-2 at home this postseason – they'll have home-ice advantage for the first time in these playoffs – though any intangibles should be disregarded when going up against a team that has won eight straight playoff road games and is 12-2 overall in the 2012 playoffs. Their defense will have a difficult time containing the Kings' speed and relentless pressure, especially when Salvador is off the ice. Zidlicky's 24 minutes of ice time per game can be exploited by the Kings' banging, battle-winning forwards, and as sleek as New Jersey's power play has looked thus far, LA will score at least one shorthanded goal in this series.
While they're bound to lose a road game eventually, we don't see this bought-in Kings team slowing considerably. They'll go 2-1 both at home and on the road in this series and in their 45th season will finally celebrate their first Stanley Cup. Kings in 6.
