Stanley Cup Finals 2014 Date, Schedule and Predictions - NY Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings: Who Has the Edge?
On Wednesday at 8 p.m., the NHL Stanley Cup Finals gets underway with the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings vying for Lord Stanley's famed trophy.
The game will pit the league's best offense during the postseason against arguably the finest defense in these playoffs. Which team comes out on top? Here is our full preview.
Offense
The Kings are led by Anze Kopitar, who leads all playoff skaters in points with 24. Marian Gaborik is the top scorer in the postseason with 12 goals thus far; he will likely relish playing against his former team. Other players with terrific postseasons for the Kings include Jeff Carter and Justin Williams among others.
The Rangers' leading point-getters in these playoffs are Martin St. Louis and Derek Stephan; both have 13 points. Brad Richards has also been solid offensively with 11 points. Chris Kreider has also given the team a huge boost since returning against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Rangers score by committee; all but one of their skaters have scored a point in this postseason.
The Kings are averaging 3.48 goals per game; the Rangers have only scored a bit more than two per game.
Edge: Kings
Defense
Drew Doughty is arguably the greatest defenseman in the world and he has already scored 16 points in this postseason. Aside from him, the Kings have the likes of Jake Muzzin, Willie Mitchell, Slava Voynov, Matt Greene and Alec Martinez. This defense knows how to shut down teams but can also score; four of the defenseman have seven or more points in these playoffs.
The Rangers' top man is Ryan McDonagh and he has 13 points in this postseason. The remainder of the corps includes Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Anton Stralman and Kevin Kline.
New York has conceded far fewer goals than the Kings in this postseason, but that does not necessarily mean that the Rangers' defense is superior.
Edge: Even, but Los Angeles has a slight edge for having Doughty.
Goalie
Regarding why the Rangers have conceded far fewer goals in this postseason, that has everything to do with Henrik Lundqvist. He has been the Rangers' MVP with his .928 save percentage this postseason and is the main reason that the Rangers have had any chance to make a run in this tournament.
Meanwhile, the Kings have Jonathan Quick. The netminder has struggled in this postseason with a .906 save percentage. He was mediocre against the Chicago Blackhawks and often relied on his team's offense to bail him out.
That said, Quick will look to respond. He has won the Cup before and has put up solid performances on the biggest stage. Another important point against Quick this postseason is that he has had to face top offenses in this postseason. The Sharks were the sixth-best offense in the regular season while the Ducks were second, and the defending champion Blackhawks were the top offensive squad in the regular season. As noted above, New York has yet to prove themselves as an offensive powerhouse this postseason and that alone should help Quick improve his numbers.
Edge: The Rangers. No one is better than Lundqvist this postseason.
Coaches
L.A. head coach Darryl Sutter won the Cup in 2012 with this team and has found a way to lead them this far. The comeback from the 3-0 deficit against the San Jose is the stuff of legends and even the comeback in the series against the Ducks was something remarkable. Despite blowing a 3-1 lead against Chicago, Sutter had this team believing in Game 7 when it trailed Chicago on three separate occasions.
Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault was in the finals with the Vancouver Canucks back in 2010-11, but lost in Game 7 against the Bruins. After that, his relationship with the team eroded, and so did his position. He will likely use that experience to propel his team and also adapt.
Special Teams
Here is the run down: The Rangers' powerplay has connected on 11 of its 81 chances while the Kings have scored 17 powerplay goals on 67 opportunities. One must note that the Rangers' powerplay has been better in the two most recent series, however, and they could take it to another gear in this one.
The penalty kill for the Rangers has stopped 55 of 64 powerplay opportunities for the opposing side; Los Angeles' penalty kill has muted 65 of 80 powerplay opportunities. The big number here is not the percentages, but the times shorthanded. The Rangers are clearly in the box a lot less than the Kings and when one considers that New York's power play is on the rise, this might turn the series around.
Edge: Rangers
X-factors
For the Rangers, the X-factor is Rick Nash. He has just three goals this postseason, but a bigger performance from him would be the equivalent of making a huge deadline deal. For the Kings, Quick will be the X-factor. He is going to have to up his level of play a bit to compete with Lundqvist. If he continues his pedestrian performances, then the Rangers will have a huge chance to win this series.
Rangers win if... Lundqvist dominates and the defense limits the Kings' dynamic forwards.
Kings win if... Quick steps up his game and the team continues to play the dynamic offensive game it has up to this point. The Kings are the best possession team in the league and if they control the puck and Quick makes the necessary stops, then the Rangers will have minimal chances to score or make an impact in this series.
Prediction: Kings in 5
Dates and TV Schedule