Game 1 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals between the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils didn't really have much to teach us.
Of course, the game brought the Kings one game closer to the first Stanley Cup in franchise history - a step that cannot be minimized, given that the team that wins Game 1 goes on to win the most celebrated trophy in sports more than 76 percent of time - but as an indicator of which team is best equipped to win the best-of-seven series, Wednesday night's 2-1 overtime victory for the visiting Kings doesn't mean all that much.
After all, a Kings road win and a Devils loss in Game 1 has been, more or less, business as usual in these 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Devils lost the first game of their series against the Flyers and the Rangers, while the Kings have been a road juggernaut, going 9-0 so far in road games. While the Kings' win on Wednesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark could be the start of another dominant performance by L.A., it could also be one more hurdle for the Devils to overcome on the way to their fourth Stanley Cup.
The play in Monday night's first game wasn't much of an indicator as to which way things will turn. Both Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur and Kings netminder Jonathan Quick were outstanding, and while the Devils missed opportunities, either team could easily have won the game. In the end, Los Angeles made one more play than the Devils did, leading to Anze Kopitar skating in all alone on Brodeur in overtime and putting the game away. Now, the Kings need to make one more play than the Devils in three more games, but the Devils did send a message through their performance on Monday night that that won't be an easy task.
The second game of the Stanley Cup Finals will truly tell the story about the direction of the series. If the Kings win on Saturday night at the Prudential Center, they'll send the message that the Devils are just one more team that they'll power past on their way to history. On the other hand, if the Devils win, becoming the first team this postseason to claim a home win over the Kings, they'll take Los Angeles into uncharted territory, possibly putting seeds of doubt in the minds of the Kings when the series heads across the country to the Staples Center.
It's often said that a playoff series doesn't really start until one team loses at home. In this case, however, it may be more appropriate to say that it won't start until one team loses at home twice.
