Kings vs. Devils: Extra Time off for Kings Will Provide L.A. with Huge Advantage

After a grueling 82-game season, followed by three playoff series, teams always welcome any kind of rest in their quest to win the Stanley Cup.

The Los Angeles Kings haven't played since May 22, when they notched a 4-1 overtime victory in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals in Phoenix to send the Coyotes home for the summer. In contrast, the New Jersey Devils wrapped up their series on May 25 after a grueling, hard-fought series against the New York Rangers which saw six games of extremely physical play.

It only took the Kings 14 games to get to this point, as they put on a miraculous spectacle in a postseason which saw the team outplay the No. 1 seed Vancouver Canucks in a five-game series that they dominated in nearly every facet of hockey. They then went on to obliterate the St. Louis Blues, outscoring their opponent 15-6 in the series with the help of some impeccable goaltending by Jonathan Quick, as well as their ability to kill all 17 of the Blues' power plays in the series.

I'll spare you the recap of the series against the Coyotes, because we all know how that turned out.

This postseason hasn't been anywhere near the same for the Devils, as the team has played 18 games since April 13, with their only "easy" series coming in a five-game victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, But even that wasn't easy for Martin Brodeur and company, as the Flyers-Devils rivalry is always closer than the final score may indicate.

The advantage that the Kings have cannot be understated. The Devils have played four more games, which may not seem like a lot, but once a team gets down to the end of the season, even one extra period can impact your future schedule.



The discrepancy of games played between the two will have an extremely adverse effect on the Devils because of Brodeur. The three-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender is 40 years old and the extra mileage for him this posts...

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