commentary...

i honestly think that the New Jersey Devils have played well,but Los Angeles Kings' goaltender Jonathan Quick is playing the best netminder,that i have seen since 2002,when the Red Wings blew away everybody else on the way to the Stanley Cup... the Devils have to do what the Pittsburgh Penguins did to the Red Wings,in 2009:win four of the last five games,in a series that they could be up 2-0,instead of being down 0-2,but the Kings have been unbelievable this playoff season... it is not impossible for the Devils,but they have to win game three,of this series,in Los Angeles.... if not,they then will be a hole,that only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs have climbed out of,in NHL history:win four straight games to win the Stanley Cup,after being down,0-3,in the Stanley Cup Finals... the other two times that it has happened in NHL history,were in playoff series that did not end up with winning the Stanley Cup(1975 New York Islanders,beating the Pittsburgh Penguins,and the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers beating the Boston Bruins)... here is an odd fact:the 1975 New York Islanders almost did it a second time,going down 0-3,to the then defending Stanley Cup champions,Philadelphia Flyers,forcing a seventh game,before losing the conference finals... Philadelphia won back to back Stanley Cups,in 1974,and 1975... the Devils are behind the eight ball,but losing 2-1,both games,in overtime,and actually outplaying the Kings,in game two,does not seem too big a hole to climb out of,but again,ask the 2011 Red Wings,who went down 0-3,and forced a seventh game,against the San Jose Sharks,when six of the seven games were one-goal games... so it will be a dogfight in game three,because the New Jersey Devils basically have to win the game...