Note: This article was written before Monday's Game 1. Judge accordingly.

After an equally violent, exciting and shocking first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we have arrived at the Eastern Conference Finals. But this year, the look of this monumental series is rather unexpected.

Where are Sid the Kid, Geno Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins? Gone. What about Alexander the Great and his explosive Washington Caps? Nope. At least the Broad Street Bullies of Philly and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Bruins are still in the mix, right? Guess again. 

This year, two teams have emerged victorious from this hungry pack of veteran hockey clubs with a little of bit of youth, hustle and clutch play along the way. Two very similar clubs with stalwarts in goal, selfless captains and emerging rookies. Two loyal – and aggressive – fan bases that stake their claim to two of the finer arenas in hockey. And even better... these rivals play just fourteen minutes away from one another!

It's the No. 1-seeded New York Rangers versus the No. 6 New Jersey Devils for a place in the Stanley Cup Finals. Let the war for the Hudson River begin!

What we’ve learned:

New York Rangers

Despite assuming the top seed and amassing the most points in the conference, the Rangers were overlooked by many hockey analysts to make it out of the East in favor of the defending champion Bruins or the on-fire Penguins. And while New York has shown some struggles in their first two series, which have each gone the distance, this club has demonstrated that they are no pushover and that this year could actually be their year. 

Rangers goalie and Swedish sweetheart Henrik Lundqvist has stood on his head this postseason, posting an impressive 1.68 goals against average. His clutch and conservative play may have proved the difference in the Rangers’ Game 7 victories against the Sens and the Caps, both 2-1 clinchers.

But King Henry is not the only Blueshirt stopping shots. The once-flashy Rangers have suddenly morphed into a puck-stopping, body-throwing, selfless hockey club, focusing much more on blocked shots in the defensive zone than an aggressive forecheck like one that Garden State team has adopted. Still, the Rangers have been the hardest-hitting team this postseason with 34.7 hits per game, up from their league-leading regular season total of 29.5.

On the offensive side of things, it’s a different story. The firepower of the all-star wings and centers of the Garden has cooled this postseason. New York’s goal total has been subpar so far, but that may be due to the fact that they’ve missed an obscene number of shots these playoffs – 172, to be exact.

Center Brad Richards has been one of the only promising producers this postseason with six goals and eleven points, including the first snipe in Game 7 versus Washington. But he’ll need some help, especially from captain Ryan Callahan and veteran Marian Gaborik, who have been simply average since the Senators series.

New Jersey Devils

One of the most underrated and unnoticed teams in all of the hockey, the Devils proved, after the most disappointing season in club history in which they missed the playoffs for the first time in fifteen years, that Jersey isn’t a state to overlook. Now the Devils will have to prove that they can beat their big brother bullies from the big city if they are to cement themselves as one of the NHL’s most powerful franchises.

New Jersey stumbled to a 3-2 deficit against an equally surprising Florida Panthers club in the first round, but won two straight overtime games – the latter in double OT – thanks in part to an improved penalty kill. They moved on to face the vaunted Philadelphia Flyers, whom every analyst went googley-eyed over after their quick dismantling of the favored Penguins in the first round. But as easy and quietly as the Flyers crushed Sid the Kid, the Devils silenced lax and carefree Philly in five. 

The Devils were the second-worst – team in the Atlantic Division and the No. 6 seed in the East, but they have been playing Stanley Cup-style hockey in their past four games, all wins. The vaunted Devils’ D of years past has given way to a new style of play. Instead of waiting back for the opposing club to skate into their defensive zone and then attack, new coach Peter DeBoer was instituted a disciplined and perfectly executed system based on an aggressive forecheck and relentless puck pursuit. The Devils have been incredibly disciplined on D, led by deadline acquisition Marek Zidlicky and Mr. Everything David Clarkson.

Of course, the New Jersey Devils wouldn’t be the same without No. 30 standng in goal. As usual, Martin Brodeur has had a fantastic postseason; very much unlike Lundqvist, Marty's superb puck play and unique goaltending has kept his club in the playoffs. Nearly the best playoff goalie of all time, this may be Brodeur’s last shot at glory before Father Time forces him out of the net in Newark – and if his 2.05 goals against average says anything, it is that he is not going down without a fight.

Players to Watch

Bryan Boyle, New York Rangers - The largest man on the ice (6-foot-7, 244 pounds), he has been an even larger presence in the first two rounds. Used mostly as an enforcer in a testy first round versus Ottawa, Boyle has maintained his aggressive play and become a potent shot-blocker for the Blueshirts.

Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey Devils - Once the most dynamic scorer in the NHL despite playing on one of the league’s worst teams (the defunct Atlanta Thrashers), Kovy has traded his selfish individual runs through defenders in for a leadership role in the Devils’ more team-oriented structured offense – and he’s finding some success there with 5 goals and 12 points in the playoffs.

Chris Kreider, Boston College New York Rangers - Just two months ago, the 21-year old was leading Boston College to a NCAA Frozen Four championship. Recently, he has been a surprising sparkplug for New York, transitioning nicely from college to the pros, already tallying three points this postseason.

Adam Henrique, New Jersey Devils - Speaking of fantastic rookies, the Devils boast one of their own. Henrique has had a breakout postseason, posting seven points, including the game- and series-winner versus the Panthers

Key Matchup

Henrik Lundqvist, G, NYR vs. Martin Brodeur, G, NJD - Many have described this series as a changing of the guard scenario for the goaltenders involved. The great Martin Brodeur has won three Stanley Cups, has won more games than any goalie ever, has posted more shutouts than any goalie ever, and will be a sure-fire first-round Hall of Famer. But he’s an aging leader, reaching the ripe age of 40 this postseason.

On the other side of the Hudson, the fans call their goalie "King Henrik" and he has played like it ever since coming onto the scene in 2005. One of the best goalies playing today, Lundqvist has maintained a 2.27 career GAA and has won 252 games in just seven seasons. But he has never made it to the Conference Finals before. It will be a battle of experience vs. youth, and because of the aggressive and tight nature of the rivalry, you can expect these two exceptional goalies to be the difference makers in the end. 

3 Things To Look 4Ward 2

1. Rest or Rust?

 The Rangers have just come off a draining seven-game series against Washington where no Blueshirt went unbruised, sacrificing themselves on every Capital slap shot from the point. It was also their second seven-game series of the postseason! Fun fact: No team has won the Stanley Cup after playing fourteen games combined in their first two series.

Jersey’s Team, on the other hand, is well rested, having shut up the Flyers on Tuesday, giving them six days of solid rest and preparation. So the age-old debate continues… Is it better to have momentum, but be absolutely drained, or to be well rested, but possibly rusty? We’ll see. 

2. Are You Ready to Rumble?

The Devils and the Rangers don’t like each other very much, simply put. Their last couple meetings have begun with awesome brawls between their fighting lines. Even coaches Peter DeBoer and John Tortorella have started a bickering battle in the papers. DeBoer called Torts a “hypocrite” for complaining about DeBoer starting his fighting line and Torts turned right around and told DeBoer to “just shut up.” A Conference Final brawl appears imminent!

However, in the postseason, both teams have held back their fists, instead playing aggressively, but legally, on the boards. The Rangers have only fought once, while the Devils have fought a grand total of ZERO times. As disciplined as these teams are, one of them will have to crack around Game 2 or 3. This rivalry is too fiery for no punches to be thrown and no noses to be bloodied.

3. Shades of '94?

 In 1994, the NHL and its fans were witnesses to one of the most epic series in hockey history. It was the second time the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers had ever met in the playoffs, but the first for the chance to go to the Stanley Cup. The Devils had never been there, while the Rangers had last claimed the Cup in 1940! New York was confident going in, having swept the six-game season series, but found themselves down 3-2 with Game 6 looming in New Jersey.

Then, the miraculous happened. Captain and Hall of Famer Mark Messier guaranteed a Game 6 win, Joe Willy-style, and then scored a hat trick to push the series to a Game 7 at the Garden. There, the Rangers took a 2-1 lead into the last minute of play in the third, only to give up a game-tying goal to the Devils with just 7.7 seconds remaining. One overtime passed, but the score remained. Then, in double OT, Stephane Matteau wrapped the puck behind the New Jersey net and snuck it in on its short side to take New York to the Stanley Cup.

The Devils’ goalie? A 22-year old kid by the name of Martin Brodeur. Although he is the only remaining player who took part in that epic series, many similarities remain between the ’94 Eastern Conference Finals and this recent series. The fans hope the drama is just as great to.

Prediction: Devils in 7

These clubs are so tight, it is nearly unfathomable. Both the Devils and Rangers have great strengths, but they are canceled out by their rivals’ strengths! As I mentioned before, the series will come down to the battle between the pipes. Henrik vs. Marty. I’ll take the veteran in what is most likely his last season as a Devil and in the NHL. It’ll be close but there is no way the Rangers can win three straight Game 7s at home, right?

I guess we’ll just have to wait and watch, biting our nails all the while. Why? Because it's the cup.

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