Stanley Cup Playoffs 2012: Kings vs. Rangers Would Be Perfect Final for NHL

The 16 teams that have made up the postseason have done a remarkable job of providing captivating entertainment, but there is one series that the NHL needs for the Finals to bring in that audience the league so desperately needs in the United States: Los Angeles Kings vs. New York Rangers.

The East Coast vs. West Coast dynamic is one of the easiest to sell in sports. When you factor in that the Kings and Rangers make their homes in the two biggest media markets in the country, you have a perfect storm that will bring the NHL back to the forefront of the sports landscape. 

Just looking at the parallels between the two teams this season, you can see that the Kings and Rangers are more evenly matched than their records would seem to indicate. 

The Kings have been one of the best defensive teams all year. They have had their problems putting the puck in the net, but when you aren't giving up goals, it makes it that much easier for the offense to succeed. 

Jonathan Quick has been a revelation in the net for the Kings. He is stopping nearly 95 percent of shots that have come at him and allowing just 1.60 goals per game. His mastery in the net has carried the Kings to the Western Conference Finals. 

Not to be outdone, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist has allowed just 1.57 goals this postseason and is stopping 94 percent of all shots hit in his direction. The Rangers do boast a better offensive club than the Kings, but they are not known for lighting the world on fire, either. 

Unlike the Rangers, who finished the season as the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Kings' run to this point has been a surprise, to say the least. They were the No. 8 seed out West taking on the powerful Vancouver Canucks in the first round. 

That is what makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs so great. Anything can happen, seeds mean nothing when the action starts. 

Los Angeles and New York are so close to becoming the mecca for the biggest NHL series of the year. It is a perfect storm for a league that always puts on an entertaining product but fails to get the national attention it so richly deserves. 

With those two media markets in charge of the Stanley Cup Finals, assuming both get there, the NHL will get that recognition and show the world why its postseason is the best of any major sport in this country. 

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