2012 NHL Stanley Cup Finals: 5 Keys to Game 3

The Los Angeles Kings return home tonight with a 2-0 series lead over the New Jersey Devils and will set themselves up for a chance to win the cup on home ice with a win in Game 3.

Both Games 1 and 2 ended in overtime with a score of 2-1. Great goaltending and faulty special teams have seemed to be the keys thus far in the series. Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar have been the heroes for the Kings, who extended their playoff road winning streak to an NHL-record 10 games on Saturday night.

Although the Kings have won the first two games of this series, it is far from over. This series could just as easily be tied, or even 2-0 with New Jersey leading it. Ilya Kovalchuk almost won Game 2 with 0:17 left in the third period as he fired a shot from in tight off the post. In Game 1, the Devils had plenty of chances in the overtime frame.

Keys for Game 3? Here we go.

The Battle of the Fourth Lines

The first goal in Game 1 came from a very unlikely source—Colin Fraser. Jordan Nolan laid a big hit on Andy Greene behind the net in the offensive zone which caused a turnover. Nolan slid it out to Fraser, who beat Martin Brodeur on the one-timer. The goal was Fraser's first career playoff goal.

Both fourth lines have contributed substantially, and Ryan Carter for the Devils has arguably been their best player shift-for-shift throughout the first two games. In a series that has only seen four goals in regulation throughout the first two games, the grit of the fourth lines is going to be a huge key in Game 3.

If either team can muster some offense out of their grind lines, it would be a huge momentum swing and could very easily decide who comes out on top.

Special Teams...or Lack Thereof

The referees have definitely let both teams play, considering there have only been nine penalties in the first two games. This is definitely a positive, as no one is watching the finals to hear the stripes blow their whistles.

Out of the six goals, every one has been at even strength, but that trend is surely going to break somewhere. It's yet to be seen how the officials will be in L.A., but one team will eventually take advantage of being a man up. In a series where every goal means so much, both teams need to be better on the power play if they want to bring home the cup.

Considering they are down 2-0 in the series, this applies to the Devils immensely. Kovalchuk and Company have yet to do anything when given the man advantage.

Shoot the Puck!

A main reason why the Devils lost Game 1 is that they were only able to generate 17 shots on goal, even though (in my mind) they controlled the gameplay for most of the contest.

In Game 2, they fired 33 pucks at Jonathan Quick. They need to continue to do that in Game 3 if they want a legitimate shot at getting back in this series.

Both goals by the Devils in this series have been anything but pretty. Anton Volchenkov's goal in Game 1 is a perfect reason why they simply need to throw the puck on net. His wrist shot from the point actually ended up going in off of the shoulder of Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov. 

Ryan Carter's tip-in goal in Game 2 was a product of the same idea. The Kings are so solid defensively—and Jonathan Quick is playing so well—that chances are good they aren't going to bury too many "top-10 play" type of goals. The Devils need to throw the puck on net whenever they can—and crash, crash, crash the cage.

Coaching Adjustments

Now that two games are in the books, it's time for both head coaches to try to make some adjustments regarding line pairings, matchups, aggressiveness, etc. It will be very interesting to see if either Darryl Sutter or Peter DeBoer do anything drastic in order to produce more offense.

If I were Sutter, I'd keep things pretty much the same. The Kings play a simple game that focuses on a physical cycle in the offensive zone and a passive-aggressive attack in the defensive zone. As long as there are no huge lapses, and they clear out rebounds and traffic so Quick will be able to see every shot, they should be able to walk away with another W.

If I were DeBoer, I would handle things a little bit differently. After only scoring two goals in two games, something has to change in the offensive zone. I have already mentioned how I believe they need to shoot the puck more, but some changes in the top lines probably wouldn't be a bad thing for the first period and see how it works out.

Star Power

So far this series, Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, Dustin Brown, Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar have two points...combined. Of the two goals for the Devils, one went off of Slava Voynov's shoulder, and the other was from fourth-line center Ryan Carter.

Dustin Brown has been extremely quiet this series, and the only notable goal by any King was the overtime goal by Kopitar that sent Brodeur fishing for his jock strap in the rafters. Obviously Carter's goal was huge too, but it was a shot through traffic that simply had eyes.

The fact of the matter is that the star power has been nowhere to be found this series—with the exception of Brodeur and Quick. If the Devils want to win what many are calling a "must-win" Game 3, they need the guys who got them there to step up in a big way tonight.