Stanley Cup Predictions 2012: Martin Brodeur Will Fail to Cement Legacy

The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals will be a clash of two teams that are both trying to put storybook endings on their seasons.

The Los Angeles Kings, the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, are trying to put an exclamation point on their Cinderella run, which saw them dominate all of their competition en route to the finals.

The New Jersey Devils want to give Martin Brodeur his fourth Stanley Cup title, a feat that would solidify him as the best goalie to ever play between the pipes.

Unfortunately for New Jersey and Brodeur, that's not going to happen, as the Kings have been too good this postseason to falter now. It's taken the Kings just 14 games to win three postseason series, going 12-2 since April 11, so it would be nearly inconceivable for them to lose four-of-seven.

The Kings just came off of a relatively easy series against the Phoenix Coyotes, while the Devils played six games of physical hockey against the always-tough New York Rangers. We saw a lot of hard hitting and grind-em-out goals in the Eastern Conference Finals, and Brodeur didn't exactly look his best.

Brodeur didn't play the puck out of the net as well as he usually does, especially behind the net. In Game 5, he made a couple of turnovers that the Rangers failed to capitalize on. New York wasn't playing its best hockey in Game 5, but you can bet the Kings will be all throughout the series. If Brodeur makes those mistakes against Los Angeles, they won't be missing out on those chances.

Let's address the elephant in the room now: This isn't meant to take anything away from the Devils, but Henrik Lundqvist didn't play up to his usual standards in the last three games of the Eastern Conference Finals. He's the heart and soul of that team, and when he's not at his best, it shows in the box score.

The Kings have Jonathan Quick, who will most certainly be playing his best hockey when his team meets the Devils. The 26-year-old Connecticut native has posted just a 1.54 goals against average this postseason. He has allowed more than two goals on only two occasions.

This isn't an anomaly for Quick either, as he allowed just 1.95 goals against for the entire regular season. Quick is going to win the Conn Smyth trophy if his team can win four of the next seven games they play—that's all but a foregone conclusion.

These goalies have been given plenty of credit this postseason, so now we'll give a Los Angeles player his due. Dustin Brown has been phenomenal in these playoffs, tallying 16 points in 14 games.

The Kings had a problem scoring goals for stretches this season, but they've fixed that problem at the perfect time. The Kings have been kept off the board just one time in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and that's largely thanks to Brown, as he has registered a point in 10 of his 14 games this postseason. If Brown can continue to create scoring opportunities for his team, the Devils are going to have a rough series.

If you're not a fan of either team, the best way to choose a side would be to decide which story you like better.

Do you want to see the eighth-seeded Kings shock the league and win the Stanley Cup on the shoulders of the young American goalie, Jonathan Quick? Or do you want to see Martin Brodeur cap an illustrious career with his fourth Stanley Cup?

Either way, the National Hockey League is in for an exciting series between two teams that got hot at just the right time.