2012 Stanley Cup Final: 5 Reasons Why the New Jersey Devils Will Win Game 2

After the much anticipated 2012 Stanley Cup Final got underway yesterday between the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils, the Kings pulled off a victory. Game two is scheduled to continue the series on Saturday night.

Although the Kings were able to get a crucial road win and take the 1-0 series lead after an overtime breakaway winner by Anze Kopitar, the Devils had their opportunities. With a little tweaking, they should have a very good shot at winning game 2 and tying up the series.

With two talented and skilled teams taking to the ice, it would be great to see an extended series that lasts all the way to game seven. In order for that to happen, the Devils are going to have to improve on a few facets of their game. If they can do this, then a game two victory against the Los Angeles Kings may be in sight.

So without any further wait, here are the five reasons why the New Jersey Devils will win in game two of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals.

Home Ice

Yes, the Kings have now won nine games in a row on the road these playoffs. Yes, one more road win for them means that they will tie the record for most road wins in a single postseason, the Vancouver Sun's Cam Cole pointed out.

But even so, I am going to resort to the classic saying that streaks are meant to be broken.

The Devils are not new to being down in the playoffs this year, and coach Peter DeBoer does not seem to be worried about going down 1-0 in the series to the Kings. Reports Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News on a quote from DeBoer:

“We started in the same hole against Philly, we started in the same hole against the Rangers. We responded to the situation in the right way the last two rounds, and I expect the same Saturday,” he said.

Don't forget their early first round series against the Florida Panthers as well. In their first round match-up, the Devils lost their first game on home ice—putting them down in the series 1-2.

The Kings have been amazing on the road, but the Devils have been equally amazing, coming back after tough losses. They should be given as much credit for doing this as the Kings are getting for their road excellence.

A Hall-of-Famer in Net

“It’s one every goaltender wishes he could have back,” Martin Brodeur told Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News.

Marty sensed that he had the moment to make a game-saver, a stop that may have turned the momentum to the Devils and may have changed the outcome of the game. Nonetheless, that never happened, and that means Brodeur will be coming into game two with a ton of motivation and a monkey to shake off his back.

The move by Anze Kopitar on a breakaway in overtime was huge for the Kings to get the first win under their belt, but it also means that the Devils are put in a must win situation to keep the series square.

“I thought he was going to go to his backhand. He had so much time that he saw me not moving toward his forehand and he took advantage of it,” said Brodeur to the New York Daily News, who was not able to get the win in his 200th playoff game.

When you are the Devils and fortunate enough to have one of the best goalies of all time backstopping your net, you never know what may happen. Sure, he is getting a little old but so too was Tim Thomas last year. Brodeur still has it as he proved in the last series against the Rangers, out-dueling King Henrik.

If Brodeur bounces back and brings his A game then the Devils are sure to ride that to victory.

Kovalchuk Will Not Disappear Twice in a Row

When the New Jersey Devils are giving Ilya Kovalchuk so much in terms of the money he is making, he better return the favour when he is on the ice. That being said, the Devils superstar needs a much better effort come Saturday night.

I do not see Kovalchuk faltering in his only chance of his career so far to win a Stanley Cup. He—like every other hockey player—must realize this opportunity could be his last. At least Kovie is accepting his bad play and realizes that the whole team needs to play a better, more complete game should they want to beat the Kings in game two. He tells the Washington Post:

 “I think it was probably the worst game in the playoffs for us. Maybe we were a little too nervous before the game started, but it’s all excuses. We’ve got to make sure we know what we didn’t do right, and be a different team next game,” he said.

Kovalchuk needs to be the catalyst on the offence, and he did it a few times in game one, but he needs to get more shots on net when he has the chance. When he does not have the puck, he also needs to make sure that he draws the defence to him to make space for his teammates.

Kovie will not let a Stanley Cup opportunity get the best of him, and I expect him to come out flying on Saturday night and help the Devils come away with a win.

The Depth Duel

Depth is what generally wins the Stanley Cup; the teams that can roll the lines and have confidence that everyone is going to play their role do very well will claim victory. As for the Kings—they have depth. As for the Devils—they have depth.

Game one saw this battle go the Kings. Their fourth line of Jordan Nolan, Brad Richardson and goal scorer Colin Fraser brought the energy that they was needed and even pitched in a timely, needed goal in the first game of the Stanley Cup finals on the road.

The fourth line for the Devils—which consist of Stephen Gionta, Ryan Carter and Steve Bernier—have been playing extremely well for the Devils this postseason. Combined, they have contributed nine goals in the first three rounds, as Tim Wharnsby of the CBC noted.

Both coaches also notice how much of a role the depth of their teams play, as they told Neil Davidson of the Montreal Gazette:

 “I don’t think it’s an accident that the teams that are rolling four lines and 6 D (defencemen) are still playing. It’s been critical. You don’t play 20, 25 playoff games and the grind and the emotion and the battle without having depth. You just can’t,” Devils coach Peter DeBoer said.

Darryl Sutter, coach of the Kings, also said, “The way the schedule is and the way the travel is, you don’t do it without everybody making some sort of contribution. Not just the minutes played, but in performance.”

In the end, if the Devils want to win game two, then they will have to win the depth battle. The top lines can handle themselves against the Kings, but the bottom ones need to battle hard and make sure they win those battles each and every time they are out on the ice for the Devils to have success.

Time Is on Their Side

The Stanley Cup Finals are not just a one game showdown; it is the culmination of one of the toughest championships to win in the entire sports world. It is a best of seven series that requires four wins, not one. So not by any means of the imagination is this series anywhere near to being over.

Veteran goaltender for the New Jersey Devils, Martin Brodeur, reiterates this point to the Washington Post:

“All losses this time of year are really hard to take because your dream is slowly shutting down. We lost one game, there’s six games left in this series. They need to win three. We need to win four,” he said.

If we remember last year in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, the Vancouver Canucks won the first game of the series before going on to lose in game seven to the Boston Bruins. The Canucks did have home ice advantage but the Bruins still started one game down and had to come back, just like the New Jersey Devils are going to have to do this year.

Saturday's game two is crucial, and if the Devils realize that one loss is not a big deal and can come out playing relaxed, then a victory should be a lot easier to come by.