Stanley Cup Finals 2012: Kings Will Finish off Devils in Game 5

Headed into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, it did not look good for the New Jersey Devils.

They were down three games to none to the Los Angeles Kings and had been outscored, 8-2, in the series.

The Kings, meanwhile, had won 12 of their last 13 playoff games, including a sweep of the St. Louis Blues, and had trounced the Devils in Game 3, 4-1.

But the Kings were shockingly defeated in Los Angeles in Game  4, 3-1. Or, perhaps it wasn't shocking at all.

The thing is, the Kings have a 15-3 record this postseason. Guess in which game all three losses have come?

That's right, Game 4.

The Kings have gone up three games to none four times in the postseason. They've dropped Game 4 three times. So, in reality, we should have seen the Game 4 loss coming all along.

That makes the Kings' Game 4 loss not alarming at all, but merely a bump in the road to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Also, the Kings may be heading back to New Jersey for Game 5, but they've actually been better on the road in the playoffs. They've gone 5-3 at home. They've gone 10-0 on the road, including winning two games in Newark.

I don't blame Kings fans for worrying. They haven't been to the Stanley Cup finals since 1993, and there has been plenty of misery since. 

But the loss in Game 4 was simply delaying the inevitable. The Kings have been too good, and too good on the road, to drop Game 5.

Rest your weary heads, Kings fans. The Kings will bring home the trophy soon enough.

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