The Stanley Cup kicks off this Wednesday with the Devils having home ice. I hope to catch some of the game(s). Although my loyalties lean toward the Atlantic Division, I say the advantage goes to the LA Kings. They’re younger, they’re faster, they defeated the top three seeds (Canucks, Blues and Coyotes) pretty handily (4-1, 4-0 and 4-1) and they have three former Flyers! The Devils do have experience but they’re old, they’re beat up plus Marty Brodeur just isn’t the same great goalie he used to be. The Kings will bombard him offensively to compensate for the eastern-style of defensive play. The Devils’ Kovalchuk makes little difference.
In the AHL, it’s going to be between the Norfolk Admirals (proxy for the Tampa Bay Lightning) and Toronto Marlies (proxy for the Toronto Maple Leafs). This league is breathing a huge sigh of relief since the travel costs won’t be as bad as the last two years. The other great advantage is having the CBC covering a team Canada gives a crap about. I know zilch about the Admirals. I did see the Marlies defeat us yet we were having an off season.