Starting tonight, the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles will face the grit and determination of New York. The Kings will fight the Rangers in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals.
Not since 1981 has this country seen a New York vs Los Angeles championship in any of the four major sports (NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL). That year the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees went at it in the World Series, as the Dodgers prevailed.
NY vs LA is back, and each coast could not be more excited.
The story-lines are remarkable on the Rangers side. Whether it is the passing of Marty St. Louis’ mother; or Dominic Moore’s story with his loving wife; or King Henrik’s time to finally be crowned a champion. It has been uttered quite frequently this postseason: The New York Rangers are a Team of Destiny. They have seemingly come out of nowhere in defeating the Flyers, Penguins and Canadiens.
The Kings ask this question though: What about us? While it seems the more exciting story is breathing in the Big Apple right now, the Kings have done some crazy things in these playoffs as well.
In Round 1 they came back from a three-game deficit against the San Jose Sharks which marked only the fourth time in NHL history this was done, according to Puck Report. In Round 2 they defeated the Anaheim Ducks in seven games. And oh yeah, they defeated the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks in seven games in the Western Conference Finals. To say the road the Kings traveled was a tough one would be fair assumption.
They have become the first team in NHL history to win three Game 7’s on the road, and play the maximum of 21 games entering the Finals, according to NHL.com. Add that to a resume which includes 2012 Stanley Cup Champions and being a part of the much tougher and deeper Western Conference (according to most), and the Rangers seem to have both hands very full in these finals.
There is also the Marian Gaborik factor. Gaborik was picked up by the Kings through a deadline deal, and now leads the playoffs in goals (12). He is former Ranger who now looks for his first cup.
The great equalizers and top similarity of the two teams is who looms in each net. Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathon Quick are arguably the top two goalies in the world. Each represent their countries in the Olympics (Sweden and USA). Lundqvist has a gold-medal, but Quick already has that Stanley Cup Championship. Lunqvist looks to slay that dragon and at 32 years of age the time is now.
Both teams love to use their speed and present a puck-control game. While it can be argued the Rangers might be the faster team, the Kings have the beef and will hit anything that moves. The team that can solidify a forecheck on a more consistent basis will certainly get a leg up.
Los Angeles enters as the favorite. Installed by Vegas as a 10-17 shot, most think they’re the better overall team. Ah but yes, we have seen this script before haven’t we New York? There’s just always something about a New York City underdog. Whether it was Namath and the Jets, the Miracle Mets or the Giants over the Pats in recent times, New York comes to play when the odds are stacked against them.
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