Wednesday night, on night No. 49 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs, the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings faceoff for Game 1 of their best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final series and after three grueling and memorable rounds, four more wins separate one of these teams from championship glory.
Los Angeles plays for the Cup for the second time in three seasons as Darryl Sutter looks to once again guide his team to the best trophy in sports as he did in the spring of 2012. Last time around, the Kings entered the postseason as a No. 8 seed and went 16-4 en route to the team's first Cup in franchise history, last knocking off the New Jersey Devils in six games.
In its first year under Alain Vigneault, New York enters its first Cup Final since 1994 when it won it all in seven games from the Vancouver Canucks. Vigneault's last trip to the final came with that same Canucks franchise back in 2011 where the team lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games.
It's been a harrowing journey for both teams. The Kings became the first team to win three Game 7s in order to get here, and come into the Cup final having played one more game through three rounds (21) than it played in its entire run to the trophy in 2012 (20).
The Kings became the fourth team in NHL history to come back from 3-0 down in Round 1 against the San Jose Sharks then bounced out of a 3-2 hole to win in seven games against the Anaheim Ducks in Round 2. Los Angeles then nearly blew a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals before knocking off the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in overtime to clinch its third road Game 7 victory of these playoffs.
The Rangers went to Game 7s against their fierce rival Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, clawing back from a 3-1 hole in the ladder series, then defeated the Montreal Canadiens in six games to get back in the final for the first time in two decades.
These teams split the regular season meetings with the Rangers notching a 3-1 win for their first victory of the season in L.A. on Oct. 7 and the Kings picking up a 1-0 win in NYC on Nov. 17.
Los Angeles has been the highest scoring team in the playoffs, boasting a lineup that is deep down the middle. Anze Kopitar leads the postseason with 24 points and 19 assists and has added five goals. Deadline addition Marian Gaborik has proved to be huge for L.A. and paces the NHL with 12 tallies this postseason while adding seven helpers for 19 points. Jeff Carter ranks second in the NHL this postseason in goals (nine), assists (13) and points (22).
Carter (No. 77) has anchored a very productive line, nicknamed "That 70's Line," that is flanked by Tanner Pearson (No. 70) and Tyler Toffoli (73).
At the NHL trade deadline, New York risked it all in a trade for Martin St. Louis, and it has proved to be one of the most important moves the team has made as even though the Rangers are playing Los Angeles, it has been the Blueshirts carving out a Hollywood script.
St. Louis, struggling to get acclimated with his new team, became a spiritual leader for the group after his mother, France, passed away unexpectedly during the second round. The Rangers rallied around their new teammate, and bounced back from a 3-1 deficit against Pittsburgh to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals and eventually into the Cup Final.
Not only has he become their spiritual leader, but St. Louis (six goals, seven assists) is tied with center Derek Stepan (five markers, eight helpers) and defenseman Ryan McDonagh (three goals, 10 assists) with a team-high 13 points in the postseason.
The Rangers have been powered all year by the third line that acts like a top line, consisting of Benoit Pouliot, Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello, which could again prove to come up big for the Blueshirts when it matters most.
On defense, the Kings boast Conn Smythe candidate Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin as its top blueline pair. Los Angeles' defense will look to stop a speedy Rangers unit that includes Chris Kreider and Carl Hagelin. The Rangers, which will have their hands full with the powerful offense of the Kings, are flanked by McDonagh and Dan Girardi on its top unit while Marc Staal also provides a physical presence.
In net, Los Angeles turns to Jonathan Quick, 28, who has a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophy under his belt from 2012 despite being younger than his counterpart Henrik Lundqvist, 32, who will man the crease for New York.
Quick is 12-9 in these playoffs with a 2.86 GAA and a .907 save percentage while Lundqvist is 12-7 while ranking second in the playoffs in goals-against average (2.03) and first in save percentage (.928). Lundqvist makes his first Stanley Cup Final appearance in his nine year career. There was concern Quick got injured after a shot hit his collarbone in practice, but the netminder appears to be good to go.
On special teams, Los Angeles has converted 25.4% of the time on the power play while its penalty kill has come through at 81.2%. New York has converted on the man-advantage at a 13.6% mark and its penalty kill has come through 85.9% of the time.
Here are the projected lineups for each team heading into Game 1:
New York Rangers:
Forward lines: Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan-Rick Nash
Carl Hagelin-Brad Richards-Martin St. Louis
Benoit Pouliot-Derick Brassard-Mats Zuccarello
Brian Boyle-Dominic Moore-Derek Dorsett
Defensive parings: Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Marc Staal-Anton Stralman
Rafael Diaz-Kevin Klein
*John Moore is suspended for Game 1
Goalie: Henrik Lundqvist
Los Angeles Kings:
Forward lines: Marian Gaborik-Anze Kopitar-Dustin Brown
Tanner Pearson-Jeff Carter-Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King-Jarret Stoll-Justin Williams
Kyle Clifford-Mike Richards-Trevor Lewis
Defensive pairings: Jake Muzzin-Drew Doughty
Willie Mitchell-Slava Voynov
Alec Martinez-Matt Greene
Goalie: Jonathan Quick
Last Word: This should be a tremendous series that could very well come down to the wire. The Kings have the advantage on offense and have a never-say-die attitude while the Rangers defense and goaltending seems to have an edge over their Western counterparts. At the end of the day, this one will go the distance, with the Kings failing to win their 28th game of the playoffs fourth straight Game 7 and New York hosting its first Stanley Cup in 20 years at the Staples Center in front of the L.A. faithful.
The Pick: Rangers defeat the Kings in seven for the Stanley Cup.
What started with 16 teams in mid-April has dwindled down to two franchises battling for it all after three hard-fought rounds. Only one team will win the four more games needed and see their dreams of hoisting the Stanley Cup come true. The Rangers and Kings continue their journey towards destiny when the puck drops at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Wednesday night for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
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