For the fifth time in their franchise history, the New Jersey Devils are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals. Their series against the Los Angeles Kings will begin on Wednesday night in New Jersey.
It was Adam Henrique's game winning over time goal that sent the Devils to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Calder Trophy finalist was huge for the Devils all season long as he stepped in in place of Travis Zajac, who was injured for most of the season. Henrique's game winning goal in the second overtime of game seven in the first round against the Florida Panthers saved the Devils' season. It made all of this possible for the Devils.
Future Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur saved quite possibly his finest game of the playoffs for game six as he saved 33 of 35 shots in the victory. The Devils controlled the game in the first period and held a 2-0 lead after one. The Rangers stormed back in the second and third periods, however, and tied it up. If not for Brodeur, the Rangers may have taken over the game and we might be talking about a game seven on Sunday night in New York instead.
At the start of the playoffs, no one would have thought that the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings would be facing off in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals but that is what the NHL playoffs are all about. One last thing to consider: the 1995 New Jersey Devils are the lowest seed (#5) to ever win the Stanley Cup. That record will be broken this year by either New Jersey (#6 this season) or Los Angeles (#8 in the Western Conference). It should be fun.
Michael Pellegrini has been a fan of the New Jersey Devils since the mid to late 1990s when they had players like Doug Gilmour and Dave Andreychuk in the later stages of their career.
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl
