LOS ANGELES — On Monday, following the Rangers’ final practice at home before their flight here for the first two games of the finals, Henrik Lundqvist was asked by The Post whether he considered this his moment on hockey’s greatest stage.
“My moment? No, I don’t think of it that way,” The King (as opposed to one of the Kings) answered. “It’s our moment.”
It’s the Rangers’ moment, all right, as they prepare for this final countdown against LA’s formidable Western Conference champions who have survived the San Jose-Anaheim-Chicago gauntlet and now, for the first time, have home ice in the tournament.
It’s Broadway and Hollywood at the intersection of Gretzky and Gaborik. It’s the Rangers, out of the 12-hole and the Kings, out of the 10-spot overall, in the first Stanley Cup matchup featuring a pair of double-digit seeds.
These are the two teams left standing, and deservedly so, no doubt about it, after the Kings’ triple Game 7 takedowns on the road that culminated with the overtime victory in Chicago on Sunday to end a sensational series that featured the best hockey in a conference final since the epochal Battle of the Hudson in 1994.
Ah, 1994, where it always seems to circle back, doesn’t it? That Rangers team finished first overall. This team was a middle-of-the-pack group most of the year. But not now. Not after taking out Philly in seven, not after rallying from 3-1 down to take out Pittsburgh in seven. Not after defeating the Canadiens in six.
Not after crystalizing as a family in support of Martin St. Louis, who already seems a Ranger for life.
No doubt the Kings are the best opponent the Blueshirts have faced in this tournament, by leaps and bounds. LA made the playoffs scoring the fewest goals per game of the 16 qualifiers. They go into the final as the highest-scoring team in the tournament. They are big, strong, fast, deep, and they are secure in nets with Jonathan Quick.
Two years removed from the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, they are poised to make their mark on NHL history. No team has won the Cup twice in a three-year span since the Red Wings went back-to-back in 1997 and 1998. They are all the Kings’ horses.
But they don’t have The King, a motivating force on and off the ice who is the best goaltender the Kings have faced in the tournament, by leaps and bounds. And they won’t be able to rattle the Rangers, a quietly but supremely confident group.
The moment is drawing near. The moments of the Rangers’ lives.
The matchups:
Goaltending
Lundqvist — who leads the playoffs with an overall .928 save percentage and is at a sparkling .935 at even-strength — has demonstrated the ability throughout the tournament to play his best when needed the most and to maintain his equilibrium and focus in the face of adversity, as he did in Game 7 against Philly after being pulled after two periods in Game 6, as he did in Game 6 against the Canadiens after being pulled in the second in Game 5.
Battling through traffic, tracking the puck brilliantly, quicker than ever around the net on goalmouth scrambles, even a bit more daring than traditionally in moving the puck, Lundqvist allowed a total of two goals in the Rangers’ three series clinchers, all one-goal games.
Jonathan Quick, who won the Conn Smythe in 2012 after surviving an ultimate six-game duel with Martin Brodeur, doesn’t have the same dominating numbers as he put up two years ago (.906 save pct.), but Team USA’s No. 1 at Sochi has made the most critical stops at the most critical times. Always strong around the net, Quick has appeared somewhat off balance and more susceptible than usual on lateral plays down low, or those originating below the goal line.
Edge: Rangers
Defense
It will be more than this, of course it will be, but the duel between two exceptional young talents, Ryan McDonagh of the Rangers (and of the USA Olympic Team) and Drew Doughty of the Kings (and Canada), is the marquee main event.
The Rangers will want their shutdown pair of McDonagh and Dan Girardi, the latter so solid and understated through this run, matched against LA’s Anze Kopitar-Marian Gaborik-Dustin Brown top line, but the Blueshirts won’t have to sweat it if the Kings get a match at home against the Marc Staal-Anton Stralman tandem that has been outstanding as the tournament has evolved. Staal has been fierce while Stralman has been excellent one-on-one. Kevin Klein has stepped up on the third pair with John Moore (suspended for Game 1) or Raphael Diaz.
Doughty is the consummate NHL two-way defenseman, at this moment the best in the world, able to dictate the pace and the play with the puck and strong in his own end. The Kings complement Doughty with a band of balanced blue-liners including Jake Muzzin, Willie Mitchell, Slava Voynov, Alec Martinez and Matt Greene who move the puck and can be physical, if not necessarily intimidating.
Edge: Rangers
Offense
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ …
The Derek Stepan-Chris Kreider-Rick Nash first line — and that’s what it is — will have its toughest challenge if, as expected, it is matched against Kopitar’s unit. The Rangers trio presents a challenge to the opposition as well, though, with Stepan having the best playoffs of his career, Nash now asserting himself and Kreider a potential game-breaker whenever he is on the ice. Carl Hagelin has used his speed constructively on a line with Wise Men Brad Richards and St. Louis, who retains the knack for scoring key goals at key times. Derick Brassard has elevated his game, linemate Mats Zuccarello will find open ice. Benoit Pouliot must find his composure. The Dom Moore-Brian Boyle-Derek Dorsett fourth-line-in-name-only is a large part of the Rangers’ identity and strength.
Gaborik not only leads the playoffs with 12 goals, the Elegant Assassin is scoring huge goals and getting a majority of them in the dirty areas around the net. It’s been a cha-ching (!) tournament for the pending unrestricted free agent. Kopitar is a special talent while Brown is the muscle. LA is formidable straight through, the remaining three lines featuring permutations of speed, size and strength. Jeff Carter is a dangerous shooter, Justin Williams cannot be shut down, especially around the net, Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson are always on the puck and then there are Jarret Stoll, Mike Richards, Jordan Nolan, Dwight King and Michal Handzus with which to contend.
Edge: Kings
Specialty Teams
The Rangers’ power play has been erratic throughout the postseason, and can be a very dangerous, opportune unit. It will be interesting to see whether Nash gets onto the second unit in place of Pouliot with Brassard and Zuccarello. The penalty kill has been exceptional, with Dom Moore, Boyle, Hagelin, Stepan, St. Louis and Nash the key six up front.
The Kings have been effective with the man advantage, using Doughty as the quarterback surrounded by finishers, but the penalty kill unit has been exploited.
Edge: Kings
Coaching
Alain Vigneault, wiser from the experience of losing the 2011 finals to Boston in seven while behind the Vancouver bench, has instilled a sense of calm purpose in his team while orchestrating effective game plans and in-match adjustments.
Daryl Sutter doesn’t say much, but he doesn’t have to, as LA’s success with him behind the bench since midway through 2011-12 speaks for itself. Never panics.
Edge: Even
Prediction
Destiny is what comes of hard work, and of superior goaltending, and of a team coalescing at exactly the right time to become more than the sum of its parts, to become a stout team without the puck and accomplish more than most imagine possible.
Twenty years later, the Rangers are destiny’s children. The Canyon of Heroes awaits.
Rangers in six
More staff predictions
Brett Cyrgalis: All logic points to the Kings being the better team; they’re stronger, tougher and have more experience. Yet all of that can be rendered moot by the continued excellence of Henrik Lundqvist, who will collect the Conn Smythe Trophy along with his first Stanley Cup. Rangers in 6
Mike Vaccaro: They have destiny on their side, which is nice, but they also have Lundqvist in their side, which is even better. Rangers in 6
Steve Serby: The Kings are the better team on paper. But the better team on paper doesn’t always win. Belief goes a long way, and the Blueshirts believe. The Kings’ Game 7 mystique is shattered by The King. Rangers in 7
Mark Cannizzaro: Yes, the Kings are bigger, deeper and more talented, but the Rangers have The King. In the end, Lundqvist will be the difference. Rangers in 7
Tim Bontemps: After winning three Game 7s away from Staples Center, the Kings will win a final one at home to take home their second Cup in three years. Kings in 7