Kings vs. Devils: Key Players That Will Impact Stanley Cup Dreams

The fate of the Stanley Cup and whether it will go home with the New Jersey Devils or Los Angeles Kings rests in the hands of a few key players.

While a team is made up of multiple players that all play different roles, the biggest stages deserve the biggest performances.

More often than not, those huge performances come from the stars.

There are a ton of great players that will grace the ice in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. Here are a few guys from either side that I believe will make the biggest impact:

Jonathan Quick, G, Kings

I firmly believe that Quick will be the key player in this Stanley Cup series. He's been excellent so far this postseason, only allowing in 22 goals through three rounds of playoff action, and he's been able to post two shutouts.

What I really like about Quick, though, is his athleticism and ability to make the tough saves, and that's something that he's going to need against the Devils. They are a very deep offensive team that can score quick and score in bunches, so Quick will have to be huge if  the Kings want to win the cup.

On that note, here's my prediction on how Quick will play.

Ilya Kovalchuk, LW, Devils

Kovalchuk has been an offensive machine this postseason, so if the Devils want to get the puck past Quick in the Kings' net, they're going to have to rely on No. 17 to keep their offense moving.

Kovalchuk has scored seven goals so far this postseason, which is incredibly impressive, but his biggest impact may come from his assists—which he racked up 11 of coming into this series.

Moving the puck is going to be key for the Rangers, especially with the athletic Quick in net for Los Angeles. The more they can move it around and keep shots coming from different angles, the more success they will have. Kovalchuk will play a huge role in any success they do have.

Ryan Carter, C, Devils

Carter is my dark-horse candidate for biggest impact player on this series. He only posted four goals and four assists during the regular season, so it would have appeared that he'd be a small factor in the postseason.

Regular season aside, Carter has been huge in the playoffs, scoring three goals, including one in each of the Devils last two wins of the Rangers.

He's been in the right position and he's capitalized on his opportunities. With two goals in two straight games, I dare say he's building up some momentum. He could end up being a very dangerous option for New Jersey, as he seems to be a very opportunistic scorer.