NHL Playoffs 2012: 4 Reasons the New Jersey Devils Will Win Cup No. 4

After winning each of the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs despite being the lower seed, the New Jersey Devils will enter the finals as the host team. And they will carry in a 6-2 postseason record at the Prudential Center, which translates to a league-best .750 winning percentage on home ice.

As much as the opposing Los Angeles Kings have stressed that their eighth seed in the Western Conference is not indicative of their capabilities, one still has to believe they will meet their match in New Jersey. And although they were a perfect 8-0 away from the Staples Center en route to the Campbell Bowl, any streak like that only gets tougher to maintain by the day.

Facing the best home team of all 16 NHL playoff entries at the last stage of the tournament will only compound the challenge to keep pillaging opposing arenas. And if and when the Kings finally hatch the goose-egg in their visiting “L” column, especially within the first two games of the series, their response will be impossible to predict.

But on their end, all the Devils need to do to put Los Angeles in unfamiliar territory is split or sweep the first two games of the finals. Up to this point, the Kings have claimed at least the first three games in each of their series.

Having to play from behind in this best-of-seven bout could be the Kings' undoing, especially as the Devils continue to assert themselves in front of and away from their own crowd. In addition to their home romp, which has seen them win six out of seven ever since they blew a 3-0 lead in Game 3 of the opening round, they have won five of their last seven on the road.

Carrying on that trend, along with each of these other factors, will deliver New Jersey’s first championship in the post-lockout Newark era.

Old Guard vs. New

Jonathan Quick has impressively catalyzed the Kings from his crease. But as mentioned in the previous slide, he and his mates have yet to let a team tie, let alone take the lead in a series this postseason.

After back-to-back first-round exits the previous two seasons, the 26-year-old goaltender has proven to have felt the last of his growing pains in at least the earlier stages of the tournament. But with the no-pressure, underdog perception long gone, giving up a lead in the finals will instantly put Quick in unfamiliar territory.

And to begin with, this won’t exactly be the same thing as countering the pressure-averse Roberto Luongo or the relatively inexperienced Cory Schneider, Brian Elliott or Mike Smith. The fact that he will have Martin Brodeur, a veteran of virtually every playoff situation, at the other end will do nothing to alleviate any pressure.

Much like the rest of his team, the 40-year-old Devils goaltender has only gotten better as these playoffs have progressed. And with this potentially being his last crack at the Cup, there is no reason to think Brodeur’s mates can’t or won’t will their way to giving the franchise player a cherishable swan song.

Overpowering

Don’t be fooled by New Jersey’s unspectacular special teams stats through 18 playoff games. The Devils have been steadily improving on both ends of the spectrum.

After killing exactly 67 percent of their penalties against the Florida Panthers, New Jersey killed a combined 80 percent against Philadelphia and the Rangers. In a sweep of the last three games of the conference finals, the Devils yielded nothing to the opposing power play.

The power play, on the other hand, went 3-for-14 in the third round after only converting nine out of 52 opportunities in the previous two series.

Conversely, the Kings were held scoreless on the power play in four of five Western Conference final bouts with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Similarly, in the first two rounds, Los Angeles converted only three of 47 chances, including another 2-for-8 night against Vancouver that featured another five-on-three tally.

Granted, the Kings have compensated one special teams shortcoming with a regal penalty kill. But as long as the Devils stay disciplined and get the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk to build upon his performances against the Rangers, they should have the advantage on both fronts.

Peter DeBoer’s Staff

Although his resume is overwhelmingly trumped by that of Kings counterpart Darryl Sutter, especially in the playoffs, first-year New Jersey head coach Peter DeBoer has had his staff embody teamwork in a noteworthy manner this postseason.

In his third year as an NHL assistant, former playmaker Adam Oates has not been overlooked in what he has done for the offense and power play. Also flanking DeBoer is Larry Robinson, the feisty veteran who was head coach when New Jersey won the Cup in 2000 and an assistant on the championship team in 2003.

It seems that whenever an NBC or CBC camera glances at a huddle around the Devils bench, none of the three men are standing pat. They are seen in constant vocal engagement with their players and each other, working furiously yet diligently to respond to the action on the fly.

It has worked so far. In fact, it has probably worked its best within the last week as New Jersey’s coaching staff and leadership clearly sparked enough inspiration for three straight victories, all beginning with a multi-goal advantage in the first period.

And in the finals, Robinson’s input will be particularly influential. His experience behind the bench is no less crucial than Brodeur’s in the net.

Depth and Consistency

Kovalchuk, New Jersey’s top point-getter, has yet to go through consecutive games without a point in these playoffs. He, along with Zach Parise and Travis Zajac have scored seven goals apiece, each tallying at least two per series.

After a quiet first six games to the first round, rookie Adam Henrique has emerged as a potential clutch scorer and has neatly distributed eight assists over his last 10 games.

In addition, the way defenseman Bryce Salvador and the fourth line centered by Ryan Carter perked up in the Rangers series could presage a deeper Devils team in the finals.

Defenseman Drew Doughty has made plenty of plays from the point. But after Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar, the Kings' strike force has not had the same stream of output from anybody else.

Mike Richards has had two five-game goalless skids and 75 percent of Jeff Carter’s goals came all in one night against Phoenix. Overall, Carter has appeared on only five of 14 playoff scoresheets.