Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2012 Sundin Sakic Oates Bure!

The votes are in and the 2012 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees have been announced. They are: Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin, Adam Oates, and Pavel Bure! I know there will be some debate as to who got in and who was left on the outside looking in but we will get to that a little later. First things first lets take a look at the four guys who are going into the hall this year and we start with Joe Sakic.

Super Joe played his entire 20 year career with the same franchise, the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, winning two cups with the club in 1996 and 2001. During his brilliant career he registered 100 points in a season six times, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2001, and 2007. He scored at least 50 goals in a season twice, 1996 and 2001, ironically enough both years his Avalanche won the Stanley Cup. During his career, Sakic holds the Avalanche franchise records for goals with 625, assists with 1016 and points with 1641. Those 1641 points is good for 9th place all time in NHL history. Aside from being a prolific scorer during the regular season he also added 84 goals and 104 assists for 188 points in 172 career playoff games. He holds the record for career OT playoff goals with 8. By far his most prolific seasons scoring in the playoffs was 1996 when he had 18 goals and 34 points in the Avs cup run that spring. Joe has also picked up quite a bit of hardware during his career. Besides two cups he also has won the 1996 Conn Smyth Trophy as Playoff MVP, the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, the Ted Lindsey Award and the Lady Bing Trophy in 2001. and First Team All Star in 2001, 2002 and 2004. What made Joe Sakic great was not only his offensive talents but his leadership ability as well. He was Captain of the Avalanche franchise from 1992 all the way up to his retirement in 2009. So Super Joe was a leader on and off the ice.

Mats Sundin had a nice long career of his own, becoming the first European Player EVER to be drafted #1 overall in the NHL entry draft when the Nordiques took him in 1989. he spent his first four seasons in the League playing in Quebec, adn set his career high with 14 points in 1993 playing for the Nordiques. When the NHL came back to business during the lockout shortened 1994-95 season, Sundin was now in Tronto playing for the Leafs where he would spend the next 11 years of his career. His career high in points with the Leafs was 94 points which he hit in 1997. His final NHL season was in Vancouver playing for the Canucks during the 2008-09 season, and called it a career after that season was over. When all was said and done, Sundin had set a few milestones during his great career. He was and still is the only Swedish player to score 500 goals in the NHL, he ended his career with 546. He has the most career points, goals and assists by a Swedish hockey player, was the first Swedish player to reach 1000 points, is one of two players (Marcel Dionne) to record at least 20 goals in his first 17 NHL seasons, and has the most games played by a European born-and-trained forward at 1346. He also ownes the Maple Leafs records for goals with 420, assists by a forward with 567 and points with 987. Although he wasn't able to get his name etched on the Stanley Cup Sundin has indeed left a great mark on this game.

Pavel Bure, the Russian Rocket, electrified croweds from coast to coast during his career. He began his career in 1992 with the Canucks and played 7 memorable years with the team, in which he had back to back 60 goala season in 1993 and 1994. Both those years he recorded 100 points. He would register one more 50 goal season with the Canucks and that was in 1998 when he had 51. Then the Rocket got traded to the Florida Panthers, and for four years he would re-write the panthers record books. He would hit the 50 goal mark in the middle two seasons with Florida, scoring 58 in 2000 and 59 in 2001. He spent his final two years in the league playing for the New York Rangers, but by that point injuries had gotten the best of the Russian Rocket and he called it a career after the 2003 season. During his career Bure picked up a few individual awards. He won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 1992, played in the NHL All Star Game in 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2001. He was a first team all star in 1994 and was selected to the second team in 2000 and 2001. He also won the Rocket Richard trophy which is awarded to the NHL's top goal scorer in 2000 and 2001. Bure also holds a few Canucks and Panthers records as well. While playing in Vancouver he set team records for most points by a rookie - 60 in 1991–92 (tied with Ivan Hlinka, 1981–82) most goals - 60 in 1992–93 and 1993–94, the Canucks all-time playoff records for most goals - 34 (tied with Trevor Linden), most shorthanded goals - 24. He also holds Florida Panthers' single-season record, most goals - 59 in 2000–01 and most points - 94 in 1999–2000. Sadly the Russian Rocket never got his name on the cup, but during his time in the league he left a big impression on everyone who saw him play.

Finally Adam Oates. Oates was know for the most part as Brett Hull's set up man with the St. Louis Blues, but still carved out himself a pretty good career. His career began in 1986 with the Dertoit Red Wings where he spent four seasons and had put up pretty good numbers in Detroit. It was his trade to the St. Louis Blues that really took off Oates career, as he was paired up with Brett Hull for three seasons. His first two years in St Louis he cracked the 100 point plateau. Then after three years there, he was traded to the Boston Bruins where he spent the next six years. Twice while in Boston he hit 100 plus points in back to back seasons including a career high 97 assists in 1993. Half way through 1997 Oates was traded from Boston to Washington where he would spend the next five and a half years and helped the Capitals to th8e 1998 Stanley Cup Finals. During the 2002 season Oates was traded from Washington to Philly then amde two more stops in Anahiem and Edmonton before calling it a career. Although Oates never won a Stanley Cup, he was able to have a great career, which saw him register 1079 assists and 1420 points in 1337 career games. Thanks to the brilliant passing of Adam Oates, it allowed Brett Hull, Cam Neely and Peter Bondra to win scoring titles, and Hull won mutiple scoring titles thanks to the great passing of Adam Oates. Many consider Oates to be the 2nd greatest playmaking center in the 1990's right behind Wayne Gretzky.

There were a few notable snubs from the Hall voting this year. Brendan Shanahan, who was considered by many to be a favorite for induction in his first year of eligibility due to his 656 career goals, will instead have to wait at least another year or more. As will Jeremy Roenick, Curtis Joseph, Eric Lindros, Dave Andreychuk, Phil Housley and a number of other Hall hopefuls. Shanahan getting snubbed again came as a big surprise. He and Dave Anderychuk are the only two retired players to have over 600 career goals and not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. the two active players with over 600 goals are Jaromir Jagr and Teemau Selanne. Housely is the 2nd highest scoring American of all time, behind only Mike Modano and its a shame he isn't in the hall yet. Roenick is another in the top ten of american born scores, he's actuall 3rd on the list. Eric Lindros is an interesting case for me. He did have good numbers during his prime with the Flyers and had a lot of potential to be a great star in the league but there are two things I feel are currently keeping him out. One is the fact he had too many injuries and concussions, and that limited his playing time. I also feel the way he started his career wasn't exactly the greatest way to start off. He refused to play for the Nordiques, the team that drafted him, and forced them to trade him to the Flyers. I think that may have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way and that is playing a factor as to him not being in the hall of fame at this point.

The induction ceremony for this years class of Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin, Adam Oates, and Pavel Bure will be taking place on Monday November 12th at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto!

RA Dickey is King in Queens!

After a masterful outing last night at Citi Field, it seems as if RA Dickey might be THE MAN at the moment on the mounds of Queens. In last nights victory, a 5-0 win for the Mets, Dickey threw his 2nd straight one hitter, the other one being a 9-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. the one run he gave up against Tampa was an unearned run. He has thrown three straight complete game shutouts. RA's only loss this season was to the Atlanta Braves on April 18th, as he now sits at 11-1 on the season.

Dickey set a new Mets franchise record of 32 2⁄3 consecutive scoreless innings, besting Jerry Koosman's 31 2/3 in 1973. The win was Dickey's eighth consecutive victory, and improved his record to 10-1 over only 13 starts, with a 2.20 ERA. Dickey was the first pitcher in the major leagues to reach 10 wins during 2012. In his last five games, Dickey had struck out 50, given up three walks, and allowed only one earned run.

He became the first pitcher since 1988 to throw two consecutive one-hitters (Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays), and the first in the NL to do so since 1944 (Jim Tobin of the Boston Braves). He won for the sixth consecutive start and ninth straight decision overall, and set yet another new career high with 13 strikeouts. Terry Collins, remarked, "I've never seen anything like this. Never. I've seen some dominant pitching, but nothing like what he's going through right now." Hall of Fame Pitcher and fellow knuckleballer Phil Niekro commented on Dickey, "I had a few streaks, but nothing like he’s going through. I don’t know if any other knuckleballer has ever been on a hot streak like he has been. He is just dynamite right now."

RA is 11-1 on the season in 14 starts with 103 strikeouts on the year and an ERA of 2.00. He has thrown three complete games and two shutouts, while opponents are currently hitting .194 against him, which is showing total dominance by Dickey to this point in the season. What seems to be making Dickey so good this year is that batters are REALLY having a hard time trying to hit that knuckle ball, which is his go to pitch. A clip was shown on the MLB network that took a closer look at his knuckle ball and showed something surprising in the fact that the ball when thrown by Dickey only spins ONCE. Yes it only spins and rotates ONCE when the knuckle ball is thrown. That to me is showing how incredible his control has been during this run of his.

Now there are two big questions that Dickey has presented over the past few days, one is whether or not he should possibly be the starter for the NL during the all star game, and two can he possibly win the NL Cy Young award for best pitcher. In regards to the All Star game I would say Yes RA should be the starter. Right now Dickey is tied with Brandon Beachy of the Braves for the best ERA in baseball, and he leads beaseball in wins withw 11 just one ahead of Lance Lynn of the Cardnials. Dickey is tied with Justin Verlander of the Tigers for the league lead in strikelouts with 103, just one ahead of CC Sabathia of the Yankees who has 102. Granted there is still a month to go before the All Star game , which this year is in Kansas City. So anything can happen between now and then.

As for the NL Cy Young it is WAY too early to tell if Dickey can win the Cy this year. Only two other Mets have won the Cy Young, Tom Sever (who won three in 1969, 1973, and 1975) and Doc Gooden who won the award in 1985. To date no knuckleball pitcher has won a Cy Young award, although Phil Nikero may have been teh best candidate. The last two winners of the NL Cy Young, Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and Roy Halladay of the Phillies each won 21 games. Since the turn of the century, 5 guys who have won the NL Cy Young have won 20 or more games, so at the pace it seems Dickey is going, if he hits the 20 win mark, he has a great shot at winning the Cy Young. Now with all due respect to the pitchers in the Bronx, mostly CC Sabathia, RA Dickey is the King of Queens!

NHL Awards Show Preview!

With the NHL Awards Show exactly one week away from Las Vegas, now I figured would be a good time to do a little preview and predictions write up for the awards to see who will be walking away this year with some of the NHL's most valuable hardware. Before I get to my predictions on the trophies that will be handed out next week in Vegas, lets take a quick look at the trophies that have already been handed out.

First up is the Art Ross Trophy which went out to the NHL Regular Season Scoring champion. This years winner was Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Malkin won the scoring crown with 109 points during the regular season. This is the 2nd time Malkin has won the title, winning the award in 2008-09 with 113 points. Next up is the Rocket Richard Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL regular season goal scoring leader. this years winner was Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning, as he lead the league this year with 60 goals. This is the 2nd time Stamkos has won the award as he split the trophy with Sidney Crosby of the Penguins in 2009-10 when both guys scored 51 goals. Another award already handed out was the Conn Smyth trophy which was for Playoff MVP and that went to Jonathan Quick of the LA Kings. Also given out was the NHL Plus/Minus award, which goes to the player with the best plus/minus during the regular season, and this years winner was Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins who finished the season with a +36. This is the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons that a Bruin has won the award. Finally we cap this off with the Jennings trophy which is awarded to "the goalkeeper(s) having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it. This year the trophy went to Jaraslav Halak and Brian Elliot of the St. Louis Blues. Both goalies allowed a combined 165 goals during the regular season, the lowest total among winners since Martin Brodeur claimed the trophy in 2004 while allowing 164 goals. So now that we have covered the awards that are already handed out, lets start the debate as to the ones that will be given out in Las Vegas next week.

First up for debate is the NHL General Manager of the Year award, the trophy which is given to the top general manager in the league. The nominees this year are: Doug Armstrong, of the St. Louis Blues, David Poile, of the Nashville Predators and Dale Tallon, of the Florida Panthers. Taking into consideration how each man was able to build their teams during the season my prediction for the winner this year is gonna be Dale Tallon of the Panthers. My reasoning is relatively simple. With Poile he did a good job of getting the Predators on the ice needed to keep Nashville in the playoff hunt and get them a higher seed, most of the team was in tact from last year. With Doug Armstrong of St. Louis, he already had assembled a team that just missed the playoffs last year before coming on to win a division title this year, but the year didn't start off all that great. I feel Tallon is gonna take it because he basically re-built the Panthers through free agency last summer and built a team that made the playoffs for the first time in about a decade and a division winner for the first time ever. So Tallon gets the nod as GM of the year.

Next up we will look at the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The nominees for this year are: Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators, who returned from offseason back surgery to play his 16th NHL season, Joffrey Lupul of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had a career year last season despite almost calling it a career in 2010 after two back surgeries and a blood infection, and finally Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens, who had a career year this season after missing all of last season due to a concussion and fractured vertebrae in his neck from a Zedno Chara hit in Montreal. This award is kind of hard to figure as to where the writers will go, but based on past winners i give the trophy to Max Pacioretty of the Canadiens.

Up next is the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, which is presented each year to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability. The nominees for the trophy this year are Brian Campbell of the Florida Panthers, Jordan Eberle of the Edmonton Oilers, and Matt Moulson of the New York Islanders. Generally the winner of this award has low penalty minute totals. Throwing that and a few other things into consideration, I'm taking Matt Moulson to win the award. My reason being that Moulson and Campbell had the lowest total in penalty minutes among the three players but because Moulson is a forward and put up better scoring numbers than Campbell and did so an a more offensively challenged team in the Islanders, Moulson gets the award.

Now we move on to the Ted Lindsay Award, which is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's most outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players Association. The nominees for the award this year are: Henrik Lundqvist, of the New York Rangers, Evgeni Malkin, of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Steven Stamkos, of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now this is similar to the Hart as League MVP but this award is voted on by the players, as the Hart is voted on by hockey writers. So as to who wins the Lindsy this year, its hard to tell where the players will vote as to who they think is MVP, but if it were my guess I would say it goes to Steve Stamkos of Tampa Bay.

Next up is the Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game. The nominees this year are: David Backes, of the St. Louis Blues, Patrice Bergeron, of the Boston Bruins, and Pavel Datsyuk, of the Detroit Red Wings. Datsyuk has already won this trophy three times, in fact he won it three years in a row from 2008-2010, so he is no stranger to this trophy. And from where I sit it looks as if the trophy will reside in Boston as Patrice Bergeron of the Bruins will walk away with the trophy. Now I know the Blues allowed the fewest goals in the NHL during the season, but as far as I'm concerned, Backes was spending too much time in the penalty box to really be viewed as a strong defensive forward. As for taking Bergeron over Datsyuk, well the Bruins allowed one less goal than Detroit did during the season. I know its a bit of a strange viewpoint but that's the way I see it

Up next is the Jack Adams award, which is awarded annually to the coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success. Nominated for the award this year is: Ken Hitchcock, of the St. Louis Blues, Paul MacLean, Ottawa Senators, and John Tortorella, of the New York Rangers. Tortorella has already won this award once before and that was in 2004 when he lead his club to the Stanley Cup Championship as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. In history only twice has the winner of this award led his team to a Stanley Cup Title in the spring, and only twice has a coach won the award after being named replacement in the middle of the season. This year we can add a third coach to take over a team mid season and win the award as I have Ken Hitchcock of the Blues winning the trophy. Here is my reasoning. Yes all three coaches are very very good but with Torts he already had a good team to work with in the Rangers and he already had success with them. As for MacLean he did a great job behind the bench in his first NHL season and was able to get Ottawa to fall into the 8th spot in the east. But the reason I give the nod to Hitchcock to win the award this year is simple. He took over the team on November 6th when they fired Davis Paine who was coach at the time. When Hitchcock took the helm, the blues were out of the playoffs, but by years end they were the 2nd best team in the NHL. For one man to cause that big of a turn around in his hockey club, Hitch gets the trophy this year.

Now we take a look at the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is given to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League. This is the only award that a player can win only once in his career. This years nominees are: Adam Henrique, of the New Jersey Devils, Gabriel Landeskog, of the Colorado Avalanche, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, of the Edmonton Oilers. Now then as for who gets this years award, its a bit of a challenge to decide. Nugent-Hopkins and Landeskog were tied with 52 points each, and Henrique was one point behind them at 51. Usually I have seen guys win this award because they put up unreal numbers either on offense or defense, but that isn't really the case here. i'm picking my winner for this years trophy based on two things, one how good of an offensive year did they have, and two did their team make the playoffs. With both those things factored in, Adam Henrique will walk away with the Calder this year.

Next up is the James Norris Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's top defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position. The three nominees for this year are: Zdeno Chara, of the Boston Bruins, Erik Karlsson, of the Ottawa Senators, and Shea Weber, Nashville Predators. Chara has claimed this trophy once already in his career, winning the award in 2009. Karlsson had the best offensive numbers out of anybody listed here, with 79 points, but the Senators didn't make much noise and backed into the playoffs. As for the actual winner of the award, its gonna go once again to Big Z Zedeno Chara. The reason being is that Chara not only put up solid offensive numbers but because of his play at the blueline the Bruins once again won their division and finished 2nd in the east.

Now we look at the Veznia Trophy which is awarded to the NHL's Top Goalie. The nominees for the award this year are: Henrik Lundqvist, of the New York Rangers, Jonathan Quick, of the Los Angeles Kings , and Pekka Rinne, of the Nashville Predators. Now with this trophy I base my winner on two things, one where the team finished in the regular season, and two the statistical numbers the goalie put up. Lundqvist and Quick played the lowest number of games compaired to Renne, and the Kings had the 8th seed in the west. Lundqvist played on the best team in the east and split a little more time with Marty Biron his backup As for what order I have for the winners, well here it is. I have Quick finishing 3rd in my book because he was the only one to have lost 20 games during the regular season, although he paced the league with 10 shutouts. He just got red hot at the right time as did the rest of the Kings. Lundqvist had a solid season but is going to come up short. The reason being is that his Rangers were the best team in the east all year and that had a large part to do with a total team effort. The winner is going to be Rinne because he was relied on more by Nashville and he won 40 games this season which was good enough to help Nashville to a 4th place finish in the tough western conference. So with all the variables thrown in Pekka Rinne walks away with the Veznia this year.

The final award up for discussion is the Hart Trophy which is awarded to the league's most valuable player. Nominees for the trophy this year are: Henrik Lundqvist, of the New York Rangers, Evgeni Malkin, of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Steven Stamkos, of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now with this trophy there some things of note. The last two goalies to win the award were Jose Theodore and Dominik Hasek. The reason I feel both guys won the awards is because they carried their respective clubs to good winning season and playoff births. Lundqvist didn't do that this season, as I feel it was a total team effort as to why the Rangers were the best in the east. As this award pertains to Steven Stamkos I have him finishing 2nd in voting for the trophy. Yes he was the only man in the league this season to hit 60 goals and one of two to score over 50, Malkin being the other one. Stamkos did all of this for a Lightning club that missed the playoffs and finished 10th in the east. So with that being said Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins will be this years league MVP. The reason being is that because of his offensive explosion this year for the Penguins, and doing it all without Sidney Crosby for a good chunk of the year, he was able to get the Penguins to a 4th place finish in the East. Guarantee that if Malkin isn't in the Penguins lineup they don't make the playoffs this season.

There are my predictions for the 2012 NHL Awards!

The Los Angeles Kings are the 2012 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!

For the first time in the history of the Los Angeles Kings franchise, they are the Stanley Cup Champions!n It took them six games to dispatch the New Jersey Devils, and a 6-1 victory in game six, to claim hockey's ultimate prize. The Kings had taken a 3-0 lead in the series, before the Devils stormed back with victories in games four and five, to force this deciding game six at the Staples Center in LA. The series had been a pretty physical one, and game six was really no different. Hard hitting play was going from the outset, as was the dominance of play by the Kings from the outset. Things got chippy in the opening period when Steve Bernier laid a monster check on Rob Scuderi. Bernier was given a 5 minute major for the hit, as it drew blood from Scuderi's nose, and a game misconduct for intent to injure. Los Angeles took full advantage of the five minute power play and in a big way, scoring three times while on that powerplay. Dustin Brown got the scoring going on this beautiful redirection in front for his 8th of the playoffs:



Brown's goal came at the 11:03 mark, just under a minute into the Kings powerplay. LA's lead would be extended to 2-0 at the 12:45 mark thanks to the 7th goal of the playoffs for Jeff Carter. For Carter, that was his third goal in this series, his first was the Overtime winner in game two and his second coming on the powerplay in the 4-0 shutout in game three. Trevor Lewis capped off the scoring on this extended powerplay with his 2nd of the playoffs at the 15:01 mark of the opening period. The period ended with the kings in the lead in shots and on the scoreboard. They had a 3-0 lead on the scoreboard and a 13-4 lead in shots after the first twenty minutes. The shot totals in the first were the widest margin between shots in any period during the finals, a staggering number.

When the second period got underway, the offensive onslaught continued from the Kings. It took only 1:08 into the 2nd period before Jeff Carter would strike again for his 2nd of the game and 8th of the playoffs to extend the lead to 4-0 for LA. New Jersey was getting really frustrated by this point in the hockey game and their emotions were starting to get the better of them, and it was causing the team to get into more penalty trouble. However the Devils penalty kill, which had been so good during the regular season and for the most part in the playoffs, would bail them out. New Jersey would finally get on the board, for their only score of the game, at the 18:45 mark of the period, when Adam Henrique connected for his 5th of the playoffs and 2nd in the finals. Shots in the 2nd period were again in favor of the Kings 8-6.

New Jersey seemed to show more life in that middle period, especially knowing that their playoff lives were about to end that night. Once we hit the 3rd period the Kings basically went into shutdown mode and were outshot by New Jersey 8-3 in the final period. However the Kings made two of those final three shots count as Trevor Lewis scored his 3rd of the playoffs into an empty net at the 16:15 mark. Then to truly ice the game and the series away at the 16:30 mark, just 15 seconds later, Matt Greene beat Martin Brodeur to seal the deal and clinch the cup for the LA Kings. This is what the final seconds and some of the celebration looked like as pure euphoria took over the Staples Center:



It was really no surprise to anybody that the winner of the Conn Smyth Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs went to LA Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. Quick put up some unreal numbers in this post season going 16-4 in all 20 starts with a 1.41 GAA, to go along with a .946 SV % and 3 shutouts! Quick was so good in the finals, and the playoffs as a whole, that I feel if it wasn't for him playing as well as he did, the Kings would not have made it past the 2nd round. As for the New Jersey Devils, they have nothing at all to be ashamed of. They had to go seven games to beat the Florida Panthers in the opening round, then knocked off Rivals the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers in tough series to get to the finals in the first place, and then have to come back from down 3-0 in the finals to force game six. So hats of to the Devils for a tremendous season.

Now then as we go into the final rap on the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals here are a few interesting notes about the Cup and the finals. The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals marked the first time two American-born captains faced off in the championship series of the NHL as Dustin Brown of Los Angeles battled against Zach Parise of New Jersey. This scenario ensured a second time in league history of an American-born captain leading his team to the Stanley Cup championship. Derian Hatcher of the Dallas Stars was the first American-born captain to do so, leading his team over the Buffalo Sabres in 1999.

These finals guaranteed the lowest-seeded Stanley Cup champion in history. New Jersey, as a fifth seed, won the Stanley Cup in 1995 in the lockout-shortened season. With the Kings' victory, they became the first team ever to win the Stanley Cup as the eighth seed. For the second consecutive Finals, both participating teams' arenas (New Jersey's Prudential Center and Los Angeles' Staples Center) served as host to their first Stanley Cup Finals. The Prudential Center opened prior to the 2007–08 season, while the Staples Center opened in time for the 1999–2000 season. (In 2011, the Boston Bruins' TD Garden and Vancouver Canucks' Rogers Arena, which both opened in within days of one another in September 1995, were the two venues that had the honors.)

The Kings are the fourth consecutive team to win the Stanley Cup after opening the season in Europe as part of the NHL Premiere Series. Previous NHL Premiere participants (Pittsburgh – 2009, Chicago – 2010, Boston – 2011) went on to win the Cup. Jonathan Quick became the third American Conn Smythe Trophy winner, following previous winners Brian Leetch (1994) and Tim Thomas (2011). Not only was Quick the third American to win the Conn Smyth Trophy, but he is the 15th goalie in history to win the Award.

So hats off to the Los Angeles Kings the 2012 Stanley Cup Champions!

(Note: Stats provided by the National Hockey League, NBC Sports, and The Hockey News!)

First Wave of Subway Series in the Books as Yankees Sweep!

First round of the Subway Series is in the books and for Mets fans, it didn't go the way they wanted. The Yankees took advantage of sub-par Mets pitching and Mets defense the entire series and walked away with the three game sweep of the weekend. The excitement started Friday night, and for the Yankees it turned out to be a homer happy night in the Bronx.

The Yankees bats lit up Mets starter Johan Santana like a cheap Cigar, blasting four homers of him in five innings. Robinson Cano was responsible for for two of the blasts, both two run shots. The first blast came in the  2nd inning and went 408 feet, while the 2nd two run shot came an inning later in the 3rd and went 392 feet. Both homers were hit to right field. That gave the Yankees a 4-0 lead, But they weren't done there. After Cano hit his second of the game, Nick Swisher hit a 373 foot bomb to left field giving the Yanks a 5-0 lead. Andrew Jones capped off the homer happy 3rd inning by hitting a 408 foot bomb to left to make it a 6-0 Yankees lead and capping off back-to-back-to-back jacks by the Bronx Bombers.

So Johan was done after 5 innings allowing the 4 home runs and allowing a total of 7 hits and 6 earned runs while striking out five. The Yankees weren't done scoring however, as they added three more runs in the 7th thanks to RBI hits from Alex Rodrigues, Nick Swisher and Andrew Jones. The Mets were able to scratch out a run in the 9th off Ryota Igarashi thanks to a Lucas Duda RBI Double but by that point the game was already out of reach. Hiroki Kuroda got the win for the Yankees going seven innings and allowing one hit while striking out seven.

Game Two of the series was a nail bitter and again the long ball would prove to be the difference in this game.Dillon Gee was on the mound for the Mets and Phil Hughes was going for the Yankees. Thanks to Alex Rodrigues RBI single in the bottom of the first the Yankees took a 1-0 lead. The offense for both teams would then go quite until an unlikely candidate tied the game for the mets. Light hitting shortstop Omar Quintanilla connected for his first homer of the season, a 354 foot shot to right. It was good enough to tie the ball game. Then, as the 6th inning rolled around still tied at one, David Wright connected for his 8th homer of the year, traveling 439 feet to dead center field, giving the Mets a 2-1 lead. That lead would not last however, as Mark Teixeira connected for a 2-run bomb that traveled about 362 feet to the short porch in right field to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. The scoring would be capped off for the Yankees thanks to a Curtis Granderson homer to right that went about 397 feet, to seal a 4-2 win for the Yankees. Phil Hughes went 6 and 1/3 innings for the Bombers, allowing six hits and two earned runs on the two Mets dinngers. Yankees relievers Boone Logan, Cory Wade, Clay Rapada, and closer Rafael Soriano were able to shut the door. Soriano picked up his 9th save of the season. As for the Mets Dillon Gee took the loss dropping his record to 4-4. Gee went seven innings allowing 5 hits and 3 runs while striking out 5.

Sunday would turn out to be the most exciting game of the entire series. It was set to be an OK pitching matchup between Andy Pettite and Jonathan Niese. First inning came and went quickly and quietly. The 2nd inning however is where things got going, and to the surprise of many it was the Mets jumping out to the lead thanks to an RBi single from Vinny Rottino and a two run double from Jordany Valdespin. the hit from Valdespin was a nice relief as he made a couple of defensive mistakes in the opening game of the series, so he was having a tough go of it. But after two innings of play the Mets had a 3-0 lead. Pettite was taken out after a catching a combacker with his bare hand in the 6th, although he was able to finish the 6th inning, he was in discomfort so he was taken out after six good innings. As most mets fans know the team has problems putting games away late due to either poor relief pitching or poor defense. In this case it was the pitching that let the team down. Jonathan Niese had been crusing along until the start of the 7th when he threw his final pitch of the afternoon, a two run homer to catcher Russel Martin, which was a 348 foot shot to right field. The Mets came out of the 7th without allowing another run. The 8th inning is where things fell apart. Bobby Parnell came in to pitch the 8th for Niese and didn't do what he was supposed to. He gave up the lead after surrendering RBI hits to Alex Rodrigues and Mark Teixeira. The Mets had to then throw out there Byrdak and Rouch to get out of the 8th. It didn't matter as the team had blown a 3-0 lead and it was 4-3 Yankees going into the 9th.


Soriano came out to pitch the 9th for the Yankees and wasn't able to make the lead stand up as he gave up doubles to Lucas Duda and Ike Davis to tie the game up at four going into the bottom of the 9th. Jon Rauch came back out to pitch for the Mets and the first man he faces is Russel Martin, who already hit a two run homer earlier in the ball game. Martin didn't waste much time winning the game as he found a pitch he liked and deposited that pitch 358 feet into the left field seats to win the game in walk off fashion for the Yankees 5-4.


What got to me in this series, as a Mets fan, was just how truly crappy the Mets bullpen, and on occasion their defense, can really be. I knew going into the offseason there were some holes that had to be filled and GM Sandy Alderson had done an OK job trying to fill those holes in the pen, with signing guys like Rouch and Frank Fransisco. But there were in all honesty too many glaring problems facing the mets in that there is not that great a supporting cast in the rotation behind Johan and Dickey. Granted the starting rotation has been able to hold its own, its the rest of the pen that hasn't been able to make it stand up and its making me sick as a fan. There are too many glaring holes in this mets team to really see them as contenders in the NL East, which is one of the toughest divisions in all of baseball to be playing in. Some Mets fans actually felt at the start of the season like they had a playoff bound team on the field in Queens. After what I saw this past weekend in the Bronx, its gonna be really tough to pull this out.I'll give the club credit they have shown flashes, but unless guys like Ike Davis and Jason Bay start finding their bats again, and the defense and bullpen staff start getting better, sorry to say it but it will be another failed year of missing the playoffs in Queens.

Devils Stay Alive Force Game Six!

Thanks to the goal scoring heroics of both Zach Parise and Bryce Salvador the Devils still have life in this Stanley Cup Finals and forced game six in LA on Monday on the strength of a 2-1 victory at home last night. The story on the game comes to us courtesy of NHL.com

Belief continues to be the New Jersey Devils biggest ally. They'll take it across the country with them for what just a few days ago seemed like an impossible opportunity in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

For the second time in as many games, the Devils fought off elimination and made sure the Stanley Cup stayed in its carrying case. They handed the Los Angeles Kings their first road loss of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 5 Saturday at Prudential Center, 2-1, while also becoming the first team since 1945 to force a Game 6 in the Stanley Cup Final after losing the first three.

Game 6 is Monday at Staples Center (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS). The Devils are now 10-1 in Games 4 through 7 this postseason.

"We're still alive, so we have a chance," Devils goalie Martin Brodeur said after making 25 saves, another impressive effort for the 40-year-old three-time Cup champion. "It's a difficult thing to get yourself ready for games like that. Now it's been two in a row. It drains you a lot. It takes a lot out of you. But, it's worth it."

The Devils made it worthwhile on the backs of Brodeur, captain Zach Parise, and unlikely offensive hero Bryce Salvador, who scored his fourth goal of the playoffs after scoring zero in 82 regular-season games.

After getting angry with a reporter on Friday for insinuating that his line was not playing well because it wasn't producing, Parise answered by giving the Devils the lead 12:45 into the first period. He scored it because he took his normal route on the forecheck and came up with a gift on a his stick courtesy of Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, who didn't put enough mustard on the puck as he tried to rim it around the end boards.

It was Parise's first goal and point of the series. It was also the Devils' first power-play goal in 16 opportunities against the Kings.

"I go into every game expecting Zach to do something big. He's that type of player," Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. "I think you guys just [angered] him. That's all. Keep doing it."

After Justin Williams tied it with the only shot that legally beat Brodeur on Saturday -- a wrist shot to the blocker side from above the hash marks 3:26 into the second period -- Salvador scored on a point shot that deflected off Kings defenseman Slava Voynov with 10:55 to play in the second period.

It was the second goal a Devils defenseman has scored off of Voynov in the series. Anton Volchenkov was credited for one in Game 1.

The Devils had only six shots on goal through the first 28-plus minutes, but they had three on the shift that ended with Salvador's goal.

"We're looking for him to score a goal all year, so he peaked at the right time if you ask me," Brodeur said of Salvador.

The Devils clung to the lead and to their momentum in the series across the final 30-plus minutes because Brodeur was brilliant once again. He stopped all 14 shots he faced after Salvador scored, including a golden opportunity from Williams in the low slot during a Kings power play just 36 seconds after the goal horn blared for the Devils.

Brodeur also stoned Jarret Stoll on a breakaway during the time in between Williams' game-tying goal and Salvador's go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal. Stoll eventually did put the puck in the net later in the second period, but he used a high stick to do it and the goal was immediately waved off.

"I mean, what else can you say? His performance speaks for itself," DeBoer said of Brodeur. "It's the timing of it. You know, I think the fact we're 10-1 in Games 4-7 in a series is a testament to how he enjoys that type of pressure."

Los Angeles is down to just two chances to win its first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history, while the Devils are still hoping to become just the second team -- and the first in 70 years -- to win the Stanley Cup after losing the first three games of the Cup Final.

The Kings say their confidence remains strong, unwavering. Kings coach Darryl Sutter also said his team is not under any pressure, but Williams admitted they are feeling something else as well after losing their second straight game in regulation since March 24 and 26.

"Sure, there is anxiety," Williams said. "We haven't lost two games in a row. We've played pretty hard. This is the Stanley Cup Final -- it isn't supposed to be easy. This is a grind. They're a heck of a team over there with a lot of character and a lot of grit. They battled hard to keep that one-goal lead."

Meanwhile, the Kings did all they possibly could to try to get New Jersey off its game. For the first time all series the play got especially chippy in the third period.

Jeff Carter pulled Brodeur's sweater over his head during a scrum. Quick punched Adam Henrique in the back of the head after Henrique fell into him with 1:38 left in the game. Alexei Ponikarovsky and Dustin Penner were given matching roughing minors on the play. Dainius Zubrus and Mike Richards also had a little spat spill over into the Devils' post-game celebration.

The Devils aren't sure if the post-whistle stuff is a sign that they've frustrated the Kings, but they'll take it anyway.

"We just keep pushing," Henrique said. "There is no quit in here."

DeBoer, who all series has remained steadfast in his belief that as long as his team plays the right way it will get rewarded, may be getting proven right. Both Williams and Alec Martinez had shots hit off the post Saturday night, whereas the Devils got two bounces to go their way when Quick misplayed the puck leading to Parise's goal and Salvador's shot hit off Voynov.

"You know, we're probably saying what they said Games 1 and 2, where we got breaks and now they did. That's how even it is," Sutter said. "We hit a couple posts again, and you hope one goes off the post and in. I think if there's anything, you got to finish your opportunities. You got to work to get 'em. You pretty much have to not give up more than one."

The Kings have only one more game to give up in this series. They used to have three.

The Devils have hope. Their belief is only getting stronger.

"We could have packed it in two games ago. That's the bottom line," Brodeur said. "But you see we have a bunch of resilient guys that want to try to make history and try to win the Stanley Cup. We're not going to give up."

For those of you who haven't seen it yet here is another look at Bryce Salvador's Heroics:

That has now happened twice in the finals to defenseman Slava Voynovwith. He had the devils lone goal in game one bounce off him in that contest too. So Voynowwith has had a rough go of it in this series. The other oddity from this game was the high sticking penalty on Bryce Salvador late in the 2nd period. He was out on the ice following an icing and he had to bve as he was replacing Anton Volchenkov who had gone off the ice for repairs after getting high sticked in the first place. Its been a strange playoffs for everybody oincluding the refs.

Game Six is Monday night at 8pm from the Staples Center in LA.

Subway Series 2012 Set to Go From Yankees Stadium

Yes Yes that time of year has finally arrived. It is the first installment of the Mets Yankees Subway Series. The first meeting is set for this Friday Saturday and Sunday from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Before we get into a breakdown of this weekends opening series, lets take a brief look back at some important dates and events during this Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees.

In 2001, there was a moment of peace in the rivalry in the aftermath of the attacks in New York City. During the weekend of September 21–23, Shea Stadium hosted the first professional sporting event in New York City since the attacks when the Mets hosted the Atlanta Braves while Yankee Stadium hosted a special memorial service titled "Prayer for America."

On June 15, 2002, Roger Clemens faced the Mets for the first time at Shea Stadium since the Piazza controversy. Anticipation mounted about retalliation against Clemens. Mets manager Bobby Valentine chided Clemens by saying he wore a "skirt" when compared to past pitchers who threw hard at people like Bob Gibson and Don Drysdale because Clemens did not have to bat in the American League. When the game arrived, Clemens was forced to bat and Mets pitcher Shawn Estes attempted to hit Clemens in retaliation but instead threw a pitch behind Clemens, prompting the home plate umpire to warn both benches. Estes later homered off of Clemens as the Mets won the game 8-0.

 2003 – the Yankees become the first and, as of 2011, only team to sweep the season series, winning all six games, including a two-park day-night doubleheader.

 2004 – the Mets win the season series for the first time, going 4–2 and sweep the three games at Shea Stadium.

In 2005, the Mets signed Manager Willie Randolph, who coached with the Yankees for over a decade. Randolph played much of his career with the Yankees and also played for the Mets before retiring as a player. Because of his history with the Yankees championship teams of the 70s (as a player) and the 90s (as a coach), he holds a very cordial relationship with Yankee fans despite his tenure with the Mets organization, as noted by a Subway (a pun on the restaurant's name and the Subway Series) commercial featuring him and former Yankees manager Joe Torre, who had managed the Yankees during their most recent dynastic run. Torre had also been associated with the Mets as they were the last team he ever played for and the first team he ever managed.

On August 2, 2008, less than two months after his abrupt and controversial dismissal as Mets manager, Randolph was greeted with a standing ovation by the Yankee Stadium crowd when he appeared in a Yankees uniform for the Old-Timers' Game.

On June 26, 2005, the Mets won their first series at Yankee Stadium and were three outs from a sweep when Jason Giambi's bases loaded single off of Braden Looper in the ninth drove home the tying and winning runs for the Yankees, who forced a season series split with the Mets.

On May 19, 2006, in the first Subway Series of that year at Shea, the Yankees took the lead three times in the first four innings, but the Mets rallied each time against Randy Johnson and the game was tied 6-6 going into the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and runners on first and second, David Wright drives home the winning run for the Mets with a single off of Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera.

On May 20, 2006, less than 24 hours after the Mets' comeback win, Pedro Martinez and Duaner Sanchez kept the Yankees scoreless for eight winnings while the Mets score four runs off of Mike Mussina. In the top of the ninth, however, closer Billy Wagner, who pitched a perfect ninth the night before to get the win, gave up four runs to tie the game and force extra innings. In the top of the 11th, Andy Phillips singled in the go-ahead run for the Yankees while Mariano Rivera pitched two shutout innings for the win.

June 12, 2009: Both teams played each other for the first time at the new Yankee Stadium. The game had several lead changes, including Mariano Rivera giving up the go ahead run to the Mets in the 8th. In the bottom of the 9th, after Derek Jeter stole 2nd base and Mark Texiera was intentionally walked, the Mets new closer Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod) paired off against Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod). In what seemed a routine pop with two outs, Mets 2nd baseman and three time gold glove award winner Luis Castillo dropped the ball. Texiera wound up scoring the winning run all the way from first on the error. It would prove to be the Yankees' 7th walk off game that season and the first statistical blown save for K-Rod as a Met.

June 14, 2009 – Francisco Rodriguez confronts Bruney during batting practice and are separated by teammates. The Yankees shutout the Mets 15–0 in the biggest blowout in the history of the series, tagging Met ace Johan Santana for nine runs in 3 1⁄3 innings, the most Santana has ever allowed in his career.

June 26, 2009 – The two teams played each other for the first time at Citi Field. Alex Rodriguez hit his 564th home run, moving past Reggie Jackson into 11th place on the career home run list. The Yankees defeat the Mets 9–1 after the Mets had committed three errors that led to four runs in the second inning, the most ever against the Yankees. June 28, 2009 – Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who entered the game to face a batter in the 8th inning, bats against Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez at the top of the 9th inning. Rivera drew a walk with the bases loaded, forcing home Brett Gardner to earn his first career RBI. Rivera would go on to finish the game and earn his 500th career save as the Yankees swept the series at Citi Field.

May 22, 2010 - The Mets win their first Subway Series game at Citi Field with a 5-3 victory over the Yankees.

June 20, 2010 - The Yankees earn their 9,500th franchise victory with a 4-0 win over the Mets. Mark Texiera provided the only runs of the game with a third inning grand slam off of Johan Santana.

July 3, 2011 - The Mets, down to their final strike and on the verge of getting swept at Citi Field by the Yankees for the second time in three years, tie the final game of that year's Subway Series against Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single from Ronny Paulino. In 23 previous save opportunities against the Mets, spanning the regular season and the 2000 World Series, Rivera had converted 22 (his only previous blown save against the team was on July 10, 1999). The Mets would win in the 10th inning on an RBI single from Jason Bay, who had been struggling all season, off of former Met pitcher Luis Ayala Manager Terry Collins called the game "enormous." The Yankees still won the season series 4 games to 2.

July 12, 2011 - Days after gaining entry into the 3,000 hit club, Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter elected to sit out of the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game citing "physical and emotional exhaustion" and recovery from a recent visit to the disabled list. Jeter, who throughout his career had been praised by people in and out of baseball for good behavior, was criticized by some players and officials including Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran. Beltran stated that "I do believe, as a ballplayer, if you have no injuries, you should be here...the fans are the ones that vote for you and want to see you here." Mets shortstop José Reyes, who also was injured, also opined on the incident saying "I want to come no matter what happens."

Now that we got the brief history out of the way, lets break down this series by position and see who has the edge shall we.

First Base: This one seems almost not fair. Defensively its about even between Mark Teixeira and Ike Davis. But on the offensive side of the ball its really no contest. Teixeira is hitting .245 which is somewhat low but has delivered 10 homers and 33 RBI. His counterpart Ike Davis is hitting even worse, hitting on the interstate at a lowly .161 with 5 homers and 21 RBI. Like I said this one isn't even close. Edge: Yankees


Second Base: Again this one seems almost unfair to try and compare the two. With the Mets they are currently relying on Daniel Murphy to play second. Now don't get me wrong Murphy is a good ball player but really almost has to play second with Justin Turner being out with the ankle injury. Murphy right now is doing ok at the plate hitting .290 with 0 homers and 23 RBI's. In the field there are times he looks uncomfortable. As for Cano he hasn't put up the MVP type numbers he has in the past but still hitting .290 with 9 homers and 25 RBI. What makes this the easy choice is the fielding as by far Cano is the better of the two on defense. Edge: Yankees


Third Base: This one is closer to call than the first two positions. When it comes to hitting, Alex Rodrigues has put up better hitting numbers at home, hitting .316 compared to just .238 on the road. Overall A-Rod is hitting .290 with 9 homers and 22 RIB. As for David Wright he was on a tear at the start of the season but has cooled off a bit lately. On the season Wright is hitting .362 with 7 homers and 33RBI. On the other side of the ball Wright has had a slightly better fielding percentage than Rodrigues. Edge: Mets


Shortstop: This one has no debate what so ever to it. Derek Jeter is better in every aspect of the game than Omar Quintanilla.  Edge: Yankees


Catcher: This one is somewhat close. Russel Martin is having a down year by his standards as he is only hitting .210 with 6 homers and 17 RBI. What would have made this debate more convincing for the Yankees is if they had a backup catcher. They traded Jesus Montero in the offseason and Fransisco Cervelli is down in the minors. As for the Mets they have a decent platoon in Josh Thole and Mick Nickeas. Thole is hitting .283 but hasn't really put up pwoer number, and Nickeas isn't much better. But because the Mets catchers seem to be able to call the game better then the Yankees. Edge: Mets


Left Field: Andrew Jones and Raul Ibanez are platooning in Left and DH'ing while the Mets are probably gonna go with Kirk Nieuwenhuis if Jason Bay isn't ready to go. With Ibanez you get 9 homers and 30 RBI while Jones has provided 5 Homers and 11 RBI. With Nieuwenhuis has 3 homers and 20 RBI but has a higher batting average. Of the two possible left fielders for each team, sorry but this one is easy to call. Edge: Yankees


Center Field: This one again seems a bit unfair to try and call. Andres Torres was supposed to be the Centerfielder for the Mets but due to injuries he is now being forced to split time with Nieuwenhuis. Neither guy for the Mets has been hitting much. meanwhile Curtis Granderson is blowing everybody out of the water in Centerfield and is on pace for another 40+ Homer 100+ RBI season. Again this is a no contest. Edge: Yankees


Right Field: This is a bit closer out of the outfield positions. Nick Swisher has done an OK job in the field and with a bat in his hands he is hitting .250 with 8 Homers and 35RBI's. Meanwhile his counterpart Lucas Duda has been on about even par with Swisher in the field, but Duda has the edge with the bat in his hands. Duda is hitting .262 with 10 homers and 35 RBI and has had a bigger impact on the Mets lineup then Swisher has on the Yankees. Edge: Mets



Final Series Analysis:
Game One: Johan Santana ( 3-2 2.38 ERA) vs Hiroki Kuroda (4-6 3.82 ERA). This may be the only series the Mets have a REAL solid chance in this series. The big question mark is how well can Santana go after having the full week off since throwing the No-Hitter last friday. The Mets can steal this one by a score of 4-2.

Game Two: Dillon Gee (4-3 4.48 ERA) vs Phil Hughes (5-5 4.96 ERA) This one may be a decent pitching matchup because these two pitchers are the closest to each other in style in that you never know which pitcher is actually gonna show up on any given day. If Bay is in the lineup he has lit up Hughes in the past and that will help the Mets but since Bay hasn't played in a while Yankees take this one 5-2.

Game Three: Jon Neise ( 4-2 4.11 ERA) vs. Andy Pettite (3-2 2.78) David Wright is the only Met in this lineup that has been able to even remotly handle Pettie. Yankees win this one 4-1.

Devils Survive and Force Game Five!

It took five games but the Devils offense FINALLY figured out how to beat Jonathan Quick. It took till the 3rd period of the fourth game of the finals but they were able to do it. The first period was a hard back and fourth battle with neither team being able to hit the back of the net. Shots were in favor of the Devils in the opening period 8-7, and the quality of scoring chances was about even. The Devils flat out dominated the opening minutes of the hockey game just buzzing around the Kings net and getting a few pucks threw towards the cage, but either they were missing the net or, once they got through, were shot right into Quicks pads. I've been saying this all series long for the Devils to score, they have to shoot up high on Quick. To Quick's credit though, he was indeed very good in that opening period including this outstanding glove save on Peter Sykora:

As for Quick's counterpart Martin Brodeur, he had to make some solid stops of his own from Kings shooters. So the first period came and went without a goal being scored, and both teams going 0 for 2 on the powerplay. As for the second period, it was much of the same, except the ice seamed to start to tilt just a bit more in the Kings favor. Shots in that middle period were 7-3 in favor of the Kings and they had the only powerplay of the period, and came up empty on it. The Devils have had a tendency in the first three games of the series to have periods where they are simply outplayed by the Kings and somehow they find a way to still hang around. Only time all series the Devils really seemed to let the Kings attack effect them was in game three, which the Kings won 4-0. But on this night the Devils wouldn't let it get to them.

To the third period we go, and with Lord Stanley's Cup in attendance, the Devils FINALLY find a way to break through on Jonathan Quick. For most of the start of the third the Devils had been buzzing. Then at the 7:56 mark of the period, Bryce Salvador let a shot go from the point that Quick was able to stop. However he was unable to control the rebound and Patrik Elias cashed it in on the backhand for his 5th of the playoffs. For Elias, that was his first goal since game five of the eastern conference finals against the Rangers and only his second point in the final series (he had an assist on the lone Devils goal in game one). So thanks to Elias being in the right place at the right time, the Devils had their first lead of the series at 1-0. Then about a minute after Elias gave the Devils the lead, David Clarkson gets called for Boarding, giving the Kings their 4th powerplay of the game. This time they were able to cash in on it, as Drew Doughty scored his 4th of the playoffs just four seconds into the man advantage, beating Brodeur five hole. So now with the game tied at 1 both teams looked to try and break the tie.

The Kings started to build a little momentum off the Doughty goal, twice having quality scoring chances off odd man rushers, but Brodeur would come up big again denying the Kings both times. The Devils would finally reward Marty's goaltending with a huge goal off a Kings turnover. LA tried to rush up the ice with just about four and half left in regulation but lost the puck at center. New Jersey then turned the puck the other way and this happened:


Adam Henrique cashed in on the cross ice feed from David Clarkson and beat Quick high stick side. That's right the Devils actually hit the net high on Quick and the puck went into the net. Henrique's goal came at the 15:29 mark of the 3rd period and was his 4th of the playoffs. Of his three previous goals, two had been overtime and series ending goals. He scored a pair of goals in game seven against the Panthers, the second one being the winner in double overtime, and his third goal was the overtime and series clinching goal against the Rangers in game six of the conference finals. Los Angeles pressed the attack a bit more after that goal to try and tie the game. However it was all for nothing as Ilya Kovalchuck iced the game away with an empty netter at the 19:40 mark to seal the deal and force game five. For Kovalchuck that was his first point in the finals, his league leading 8th goal and 19th point of the playoffs. Devils outshot the Kings in the 3rd period 13-8 and for the game 24-22.

The difference for me in this game for the Devils as compared to the first three games is the fact that even though they were outplayed in parts of the hockey game they didn't get down on themselves and kept going with the pedal to the medal. Another fact that the Devils finally showed more heart was the fact that they were able to get the first goal of the game when Elias scored early in the third. They showed resolve when they kept coming at the Kings after LA tied the game with Doughty's powerplay goal. Aside from the Devils sluggish play in the middle period, they were the better team on this night and quite frankly they had to be, as a loss would have ended the finals. Still its a large hill for them to climb as New Jersey is still in a 3-1 hole in the series.

The scene now shifts back to New Jersey for game five on Saturday night. Thew two days off between games will help both teams. For the Devils to be able to force game six, they really need to keep the pressure on the Kings, especially on their home ice, and not let up on the attack. Looking at this from the Kings perspective, if they want to end this series Saturday, they need to go back to what worked in the first three games of the series, and that was making the Devils work harder then they are used to and get the Devils back on their heels. An interesting side note related to the finals, the last time somebody swept the finals was the Detroit Red Wings, who swept the Capitals in the 1998 Cup Finals and no team has won the cup on home ice since 2008 when the Detroit Red Wings finished off the Penguins in six games.

Game Five of this years finals is Saturday Night at 8PM from the Prudential Center in Newark on NBC!