Rangers at Kings
After upending the defending champion, the Los Angeles Kings vie for their second Stanley Cup title in three years when they host the New York Rangers in Game 1 on Wednesday. The Kings went the distance in each of their previous series, becoming the first team to win three consecutive Game 7s - all on the road - to advance to the Stanley Cup final. Los Angeles ousted Pacific Division rivals San Jose and Anaheim before defenseman Alec Martinez scored 5:47 into overtime to eliminate Chicago in the Western Conference final.
For the Kings to reclaim their place on the throne, they'll need to solve, well, "The King" Henrik Lundqvist. The Swedish Olympian guided New York to seven-game series victories over Metropolitan Division representatives Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in the first two rounds before bouncing Montreal in six in the Eastern Conference final. Lundqvist has recorded a postseason-best .928 save percentage to go along with a stingy 2.03 goals-against average - better than Los Angeles counterpart and 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Quick (.906, 2.86).
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS
ABOUT THE RANGERS: Depth has been the driving force for New York as its looks to win its first Stanley Cup title since ousting Vancouver in seven games in 1994. Martin St. Louis leads the club with 13 points (six goals, seven assists) and hasn't missed a game in the playoffs despite the sudden death of his mother, France. In total, eight different players have recorded double-digit points for the Rangers.
ABOUT THE KINGS: Trade-deadline acquisition Marian Gaborik surpassed his regular-season goal total (11) by scoring a league-best 12 in the playoffs - and he'll look to add to that number when he faces a familiar foe in New York. The 32-year-old Slovak guided the Rangers to the Eastern Conference final in 2012 before being dealt the Columbus the following season. Anze Kopitar also has enjoyed a stellar postseason, collecting league bests of 19 assists and 24 points to garner consideration for the Conn Smythe Trophy as well.
OVERTIME
1. The teams split their two regular-season meetings, with each emerging victorious on the road. Veteran Brad Richards scored twice as New York posted a 3-1 victory on Oct. 7 while now-former King Ben Scrivens made 37 saves in a 1-0 triumph on Nov. 17.
2. New York LW Daniel Carcillo saw his suspension reduced to six contests on Wednesday, thereby making him available for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final. Carcillo, who was acquired from Los Angeles at midseason, originally was banned 10 games for deliberately applying physical force to an official.
3. Teams representing New York and Los Angeles are vying for a championship in the four major North American sports for the first time since the Yankees faced the Dodgers in the 1981 World Series.
SERIES PREDICTION: Kings in 6