Stanley Cup 2012: Special Teams Will Decide Whether Kings or Devils Lifts Cup

Special teams will play a major factor in the outcome of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final between the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils.

In a series where each team has a fantastic goaltender playing at an elite level, capitalizing on the power play will be crucial each game.

A quick look at the power play stats for each team shows the Devils have had more success with the man advantage in the playoffs thus far.

	Powerplay			Penalty Kill
Team	PPG	PPO	PCT	PPGA	TSH	PCT
Kings	6	74	8.1	5	57	91.2
Devils	12	66	18.2	16	62	74.2

While the Kings power play has been awful for most of the postseason, their penalty kill ranks second behind the St. Louis Blues, who L.A. knocked out in the second round.

Not only has the Kings penalty kill been effective, but their ability to score while a man down has also been amazing. Los Angeles is one of four teams, including New Jersey, who have a short-handed goal in the playoffs.

The Kings have scored five times short-handed, which is the most in the playoffs. The Devils have one short-handed goal.

If the Devils are to win this series against Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, who has a record of 12-2 (8-0 on the road) in the playoffs and is stopping nearly everything sent his way, then their power play has to improve.

The Devils were 3-for-23 on the power play against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Finals. That percentage isn't going to be good enough against a high scoring and strong penalty killing team like the Kings.

They need to have power plays like the one shown below from Game 6 of the Rangers series.

Special teams will be a major part of each team's success or failure in the Cup Final. Players must be smart about taking penalties because a power play goal could be the difference in several games.

In a matchup of top-tier goaltenders, making sure you capitalize on quality opportunities like power plays will make all the difference in the series.

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Nicholas Goss is an NHL Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was also the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.