State of the Stanley Cup Chase
“And then there were 2” said some guy at some point in time. With a month and a half of playoff hockey in the books, the field of 16 teams has been narrowed down to only 2. Each respective club has fought tooth and nail for the 12 wins necessary to get to this point. While nearly all of their peers are on vacation, the members of these two clubs are preparing to push themselves harder than they ever have before. There are 2 teams left but only 1 will achieve hockey’s ultimate dream and become the 2014 Stanley Cup Champions.
Eastern Conference
New York Rangers
What to feel good about: The Rangers have shown resiliency in the face of adversity time and time again this post season. The play of Lundqvist has been remarkable and has played a key role in getting these Rangers to the finals. Rick Nash finally got himself on the board in the conference finals. Martin St. Louis can still snipe like he’s 25 when called upon. Overall the Rangers are well rounded and playing good hockey. They have found a way to win in every crunch time situation.
What to worry about: The Rangers give up way too many shots. Lundqvist is a world class goaltender, but relying on him to stop 30+ shots a game is not a good game plan. New York needs to tighten up defensively in their zone and start lying down for more shots. Against the Flyers and the Penguins, the Rangers had a stretch of games where they appeared to be complacent. Whether it was due to a grueling schedule or not, it really doesn’t matter. There are 4 wins left to win and any excuse for poor play is a horrible excuse at this point. The mental endurance of the Rangers is going to be tested in the coming week and they will have to prove they’re up to it.
Game Changer: Rick Nash spent 10 years playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has been waiting a decade for a legitimate chance at holding the Cup. Nash can be one of the most lethal goal scorers in the league when he’s on his game. Henrik Lundqvist is 32 years old and has been arguably the best goalie in the world for the past 10 years. This is however, his first finals appearance. King Henrik isn’t getting any younger. He has the ability to completely shut a team down as we saw in game 6 against Montreal. It helps a team a lot when the offense only needs to score 1 goal to win a game.
Western Conference
Los Angeles Kings
What to feel good about: The Kings will not go down. They’ve been through 3 playoff series and have won 3 game 7’s ON THE ROAD. They are fast, they are physical, and above all they’re clutch as fuck. Quick has been solid when called upon and Doughty has been the best player on the ice. They say defense wins championships, well, the Kings have the best defenseman in the world playing 30+ minutes a game.
What to worry about: This isn’t the divisional finals or the conference finals; this is the Cup now. Every series up to this point the Kings have been unable to play consistent game to game. Every series they’ve gone through a couple games where they seemed complacent and got out worked. If the Kings have to go to Madison Square Garden and face elimination with the Cup in the building I don’t see any way they pull off another upset win. They have to get consistent.
Game Changer: If this series goes 7 games there’s no way LA doesn’t win. Game 7 has been their forte this post season. Also, Doughty has the potential to completely take over a game; If he starts putting the puck in the net from the point… game over.
Prediction: Rangers win 4-2 (5/1 odds)
The Kings just went through hell to get through the Hawks. Before that, they went through hell to get through the Ducks and before that they managed an impossible comeback against the Sharks. The Rangers skill and goaltending will take over the series and give New York its first Cup in 20 years.
Stanley Cup Finals – Game 1
New York Rangers (+135) @ Los Angeles (L)
There’s 2 teams and 4 wins left. Tonight the Finals finally kick off. The series starts in the LA. My pick tonight is the Rangers because I think Lundqvist will steal Game 1. Everyone is saying LA is the favorite for the Cup, but they’re all fucking stupid. First of all, it’s the finals; both teams are going to play harder than they have all year. Secondly, just because “the West is stronger” overall, doesn’t mean that one team from the West is automatically better than one team from the East. I think both these teams are fantastic hockey clubs and it will be fun to watch what happens. For tonight, I’m going to with Blue Shirts based off of Henrik Lundqvist playing some shut down goaltending and Rick Nash getting scary on offense.
