Eastern Conference Finals Preview: Rangers vs. Devils

        The Conference Finals match-ups are finally set! The New York Rangers defeated the Washington Capitals 2-1 in Game 7, moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the New Jersey Devils. This will be a rematch of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, that saw the Rangers defeat the Devils in seven games. Expect this series to be another heated battle between these two bitter rivals. In this post, I will analyze both teams, and in the end, I will predict the winner to play for the Stanley Cup.


New York Rangers


       The New York Rangers are a blue-collared, hard-working team. That can get them into the Stanley Cup Finals, as they are a physical team and they block a lot of shots. The Rangers have a lot of players who can contribute in important situations, like Brian Boyle, and Ryan Callahan, and especially Brad Richards. Richards, the 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner on the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lighting, knows what it's like to reach the mountain top, and he will have to be a leader for the Rangers during the games, and in the locker room as well.
        Henrik Lundqvist, before this season, has never reached the Conference Finals in his seven years in the NHL. He has been the backbone for the Rangers for years now, and he is definitely capable of taking the Rangers even further. Lundqvist is the embodiment of consistency, and his numbers over the last seven years show it. Lundqvist is a competitor; he wants to reach that next level, and he is certainly ready to. He's carried the Rangers on his back all season long, and has been stellar in the playoffs. It's his series to lose.


New Jersey Devils


        The days of the defensive Devils, with the likes of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, and Ken Daneyko are long gone, and even more so after the 2011-12 regular season. The Devils have an amazing amount of offensive depth, with players like Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias, David Clarkson, Petr Sykora, and Travis Zajac, who missed most of the year with an achilles heel injury. Ilya Kovalchuk needs to to lead the Devils offensively. He wants to win, and intense play throughout the season shows it. After years of playoff-less years on the Atlanta Thrashers, Kovalchuk is trying to make up for lost time.

        Martin Brodeur, the Devils' long-time star goaltender, has not won the Stanley Cup since  his third championship in 2003. His critics recently have started to question whether Brodeur has another championship run left in him, and the 40-year old is out to prove them wrong. I have never seen a player more motivated in my life than I am seeing Brodeur during these playoffs. This may be Brodeur's last deep playoff run, and he knows it. That's what's driving him. He wants one more taste of the glory that comes with the Stanley Cup.


My Prediction


        The Devils and the Rangers bring out the best in each other, and that's why I believe this series will end in seven games. My pick for the winner of that Game 7, and to play for the Stanley Cup, is the New Jersey Devils. They proved how dominant they can be, as they slaughtered the powerhouse Philadelphia Flyers in five games. Everything is going right for New Jersey. They're playing an aggressive style of hockey with a ruthless forecheck. That forecheck will be a key factor in defeating the Rangers. Nothing is going to stop Martin Brodeur from getting what he wants: a fourth Stanley Cup. He's going to have to stand on his head during this series if the Devils have any chance of winning this series. I'm looking forward to a hard-fought playoff series between these two bitter rivals.