Devils Delight: New Jersey Advances To Stanley Cup Finals

All three teams received more accolades and were publicized heavily by comparison, as New Jersey quietly went about its business, fine tuned its game, and entered the postseason with an NHL-high six-game winning streak.

Once they locked up the eighth and final spot in the West, they continued their grinding style of play, enabling the Kings to breeze through Vancouver in five, a sweep of the Blues, and the Phoenix Coyotes in five.

Looking at the present version of the Devils, they’ve exhibited stark contrasts from the club that made four final appearances in a nine year span -- winning three -- but they also share some similarities.

Sure there are contrasts, but there are also some familiar elements to the 2012 East triumph and the Devils’ past glory:

After a postseason where the top-seeded club failed to score more than two goals a game on multiple occasions, particularly in the Conference Final series, it’s only natural to wonder if the addition of a perennial 30-plus goal scorer might have made a difference.

That said, it can’t be said that this was a bad season for the Rangers. A Winter Classic victory, an Atlantic division title and an impressive run through the postseason ... but when it mattered most, they fell short.

The Devils earned the home-ice advantage by virtue of owning a better regular season record. New Jersey finished the regular season with 102 points compared to L.A.‘s 95.

The full schedule:

When you think about it from that perspective, it makes sense that a captain would like to touch the conference championship trophy. Lift it. Carry it into the locker room. Enjoy it. You might never get here again.

But as is typical in the NHL, Parise joined a long list of team captains who have opted against touching the Wales Trophy. Instead, he called the rest of his teammates over for a photo op while the Prudential Center crowd chanted, “We want the Cup!”

The Devils jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Game 6, but New York battled back in the second period to tie the game. The game remained tied through the third period, but Henrique rammed home a loose puck in front of the net early in the overtime period to give New Jersey the win.

Stick with SBNation.com for full coverage of Rangers vs. Devils Game 6. For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust. For full coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, check in with SB Nation’s NHL hub.

New Jersey scored twice in the first period to take an early 2-0 lead, but the Rangers came back with two goals of their own in the second period to tie the game. Both teams had their opportunities in the third period, but neither was able to break through.

The Rangers have outshot the Devils 35-26 in the game so far, including an 8-5 advantage in the third period. New York has also protected the puck better than New Jersey, with just one giveaway during regulation while the Devils gave up the puck 10 times.

Of course, we wouldn’t be in overtime without Kovalchuk’s power play goal in the first period, and he has seven shot attempts on the evening, including that goal. He doesn’t really suck tonight, but that doesn’t make this any less funny.

Stick with SBNation.com for full coverage of Rangers vs. Devils Game 6. For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust. For full coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, check in with SB Nation’s NHL hub.

Stick with SBNation.com for full coverage of Rangers vs. Devils Game 6. For more on theRangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust. For full coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, check in with SB Nation’s NHL hub.

Your ears were not fooling you. That was indeed the NFL on FOX theme you heard over the Prudential Center PA system, and yes, it was weird. This is a hockey game, and the NHL’s television partner is NBC. We’re sure NBC execs weren’t all that happy with the music choice, and perhaps that explains the abrupt cut off here, even if there is a legitimate reason why it was played.

Chase Blackburn, of course, of the World Champion New York Giants. One dude who might just unite Rangers and Devils fans this Friday evening.

The teams didn’t want to talk about 1994 or anything, but some food for thought: Back in Game 6 between the Devils and Rangers that year, New York trailed 2-0 in a do-or-die situation. They wound up winning that game before a dramatic Game 7 victory sent them to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Just as in Game 5, it seemed like this thing was over, but the Rangers are here to play, and there’s still more than 20 minutes to go in the hockey game. Hopefully for New York and those looking forward to a Game 7, there’s a little bit different an ending this time.

Stick with SBNation.com for full coverage of Rangers vs. Devils Game 6. For more on theRangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust. For full coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, check in with SB Nation’s NHL hub.

The Rangers had a bit of a surge going, mostly thanks to a strong power play with Alexei Ponikarovsky in the box. Power plays can be momentum builders, so it’s even more of a concern for New York that Steve Bernier apparently flopped his ass off on this high-sticking call against Michael Del Zotto.

Oh, Steve.

Momentum is a very real thing. Often times we get confused and think it has some sort of predictive value (it does not), but it is a real thing, and it can change on a dime. The Devils had it all throughout the first period and early in the second, but from the moment Alexei Ponikarovsky stepped into the penalty box for interference 1:23 into the second, it’s been all New York.

A strong five-minute surge from the Rangers has resulted in a whole lot of nothing on the scoreboard, and that has to be concerning for desperate New York, because we all know the momentum can shift right back in New Jersey’s favor at any second here. A Pete DeBoer timeout might just be what the doctor ordered, in fact.

Pretty inexcusable PK coverage by the Rangers here, but it’s all thanks to the great puck movement by the Devils.

The Rangers are supposed to be the desperate ones tonight. Backs against the wall and everything.

But according to Matt Reitz on Twitter, scoring chances were 11 to three in favor of the Devils as the first period wound down. We counted two for the Devils after that and zero for the Rangers, giving us a rough estimate of about 13 to three in the first period. That’s not a stat that illustrates desperate play for the Blueshirts.

Ryan Carter, you guys.

The Devils lead Game 6 by a 2-0 score, and one of those goals is courtesy of the New Jersey fourth liner. The other was a power play goal by Ilya Kovalchuk, not directly the fault of Carter, but the power play was caused by a Ruslan Fedotenko tripping penalty at the 12:31 mark of the first period.

That kind of production from the fourth line can’t really be overvalued at this time of year. Carter scored the game-winning goal in Game 5, and now he’s opened the scoring in Game 6.

The Rangers were the better team for the majority of that game, erasing an early New Jersey lead before ultimately allowing a game-winning goal that went completely against the momentum they had built. The loss was obviously a frustrating outcome, but the way they played the game is a sign of optimism for Rangers fans at Blueshirt Banter.

Stick with SBNation.com for full coverage of Rangers vs. Devils Game 6. For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust. For full coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, check in with SB Nation’s NHL hub.

Devils blog In Lou We Trust believes so, and they hope it’ll happen again in Game 6:

Stick with SBNation.com for full coverage of Rangers vs. Devils Game 6. For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust. For full coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, check in with SB Nation’s NHL hub.

But for Rangers fans at Blueshirt Banter, this game isn’t about 1994, and that year shouldn’t even be part of the discussion as the team prepares for a do-or-die game at Prudential Center on Friday night. The teams are different and the time is different, but at the same time, the teams are similar in how Rangers fans see them.

Stick with SBNation.com for full coverage of Rangers vs. Devils Game 6. For more on the Rangers, check in with Blueshirt Banter and for more on the Devils, check in with In Lou We Trust. For full coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, check in with SB Nation’s NHL hub.

The Eastern Conference finals return to the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., where the Devils will look for their third straight win to finish off the Rangers and advance to the Stanley Cup final.

Schedule and broadcast information for Friday night’s Game 6: