New Jersey Devils fans have never seen this before. On the biggest stage, for the glory of holding and raising the greatest trophy in all of sport, their team looks like they don’t belong there.

This should come as a shock. The organization has a history of resiliency and composure, winning three Stanley Cups with their lone failure coming in a hard-fought seven-game series in 2001. On the biggest stage, the Devils usually shine the brightest. Jason Arnott in 2000. Jeff Freisen in 2003. Adam Henrique just a week ago. (That was only a week ago?) But not now, not in this Cup Final.

However, the differences do not lie in the makeup of the Devils club; their underdog roll through the Eastern Conference playoffs this year was outstanding and unforeseen, reflective of a talented, poised, and determined group of bearded skaters. They should not blame themselves completely for their 0-3 hole in the Cup Final; instead, as much as hockey players hate to, the Devils must praise the strongest, quickest, most efficient, most frustrating, and – still – most surprising team in recent Stanley Cup memory.

Yeah, that’s right. The 2012 Los Angeles Kings are not just some lucky eight-seed who stumbled into the Stanley Cup Final and overwhelmed a terrified Eastern Conference foe.

No – these are Kings, hockey royalty. They beat each of the top three seeds in the West. They're legit.

As we have seen through these Stanley Cup Playoffs, it's not about how great you are when you win, but how you win when you are not great. In the first round, the Penguins-Flyers series, as bloody and idiotic as the play was, was incredibly competitive. Although one of the most defining moments of the series was Pittsburgh’s 10-3 thrashing of Philly in Game 4, Marc-Andre Fleury and the Pens had no answer for the Broad Street Bullies when they put pucks – multiple pucks – in the back of the net.

In the Conference Finals, the Rangers won two games against New Jersey, both shutouts by "King" Henrik Lundqvist; but when the Devils solved New York’s star goaltender, the Rangers suddenly became out of sorts, losing the intensity they had exhibited in the first two rounds.

Then there are the Los Angeles Kings. In Games 1 and 2 of the Cup Final, Los Angeles was at their worst. Their renowned forecheck was weak, almost nonexistent; their chemistry was much less evident and their passing more off target than previous series; and their goal-scoring chances, while impressive and aplenty, did not lead to many scoreboard tallies. Whether it was because of the rockin' Rock (aka the Prudential Center) or the unfamiliarity with and experience of their opponent, the consistent and avid viewer could tell that Los Angeles had lost its mojo.

Still, at their worst, the Kings won... in overtime... by the score of 2-1... twice. Coincidence? Maybe not. 

Reacting to their poor offensive play and shaky teamwork, the Kings upped the intensity and pressure in both away games, making the Devils incredibly uncomfortable. The clubs that New Jersey had previously played were either offensive-minded (Florida), lax and overconfident (Philadelphia), or passive shot-blockers (New York). None of these teams forced misdirected passes or careless dump-ins that (repeatedly) resulted in icing calls, like L.A. has.

Lacking the skill and confidence to outmaneuver New Jersey with the puck early on in the series, the Kings pressured their opponent to do so instead, a reverse psychology technique that, in the eyes of this "unbiased" writer, left the Devils equally confused and uncomfortable.

Of course, part of the reason -- no, 80 percent of the reason -- why Los Angeles made it out of the Garden State with a 2-0 lead was the play of the disgustingly flexible and dangerously witty Jonathan Quick. Get this: the Devils have taken 72 shots so far this series (24 per game, too little if you ask me); Quick has 70 saves. He has stopped 70 of 72 shots that have come his way!

And it's not like the Devils haven't put some good shots on net – their effort in the offensive zone is lacking so far, but sometimes yields exciting chances. So, even when the Kings are at their worst, unable to score and forced to intimidate, Quick has their back. And their front. I wouldn't be surprised if he has 360-degree vision.

With superb goaltending and aggressive and strong play – literally, strong – by rising star Anze Kopitar and courageous captain Dustin Brown, the Kings stymied the Devils in the first two games in Newark. Then they decided, just for the hell of it, to turn on the jets and actually play true Kings hockey in Game 3 - up-tempo and aggressive with laser-accurate passing.

However, when the first goal of Game 3 was scored – you know, the one where the puck was safely controlled under Martin Brodeur’s pad until a random crashing King started stabbing at it until it broke loose and slid into the net, while the referees skated away without offering a decent explanation for their blown call – it seemed like the Kings were at it again. 

The Kings wer not playing their A-game, as they exhibited in the first two games, and they had already taken two penalties, resulting in a 5-on-3 Devils advantage for a good minute. However, Jersey's power play resulted in more Kings' zone clears than Devils' shots on goal. Despite being two men down, Los Angeles' nimble-skated triangle defense frustrated New Jersey and their point-man and disappearing act Ilya Kovalchuk, who, under the intense Los Angeles pressure, has seem to forgotten how to handle the puck, resembling a man wielding a stick of butter rather than a hockey stick.

The Devils failed to score on that power play and every subsequent man advantage in Game 3. In fact, New Jersey, after going 0-for-6 on the power play on Monday, is now a good ole zero-for-a-dozen (0-12) with at least a 5-on-4 advantage. Even when the Kings screw up, taking dumb penalties like Dustin Penner's charge on Brodeur in the second period, they still come out in the black, not the red. 

Nearly 35 minutes into Game 3, I was ready to write the headline: "Devils Outwork; Kings Outscore." It had been the theme for the first two games and the first half of the third. Then came the cleanest and most beautiful goal of the series, a beautiful tic-tac-toe starting with a nifty backpass of the board from Justin Williams to Dustin Brown, who then rifled a pin-point pass to a streaking Anze Kopitar on the far side of the net, beating vaunted Devils captain Zach Parise in the process. Brodeur? Well, he’s not quick; and he’s not Quick either. Kopitar’s shot went right into the net – no deflection, no redirect, no stab, just pure netting. 

It was there, at that point, amid my anger and disbelief at the efficiency and ingenuity of the Kings' first-line play, that I resigned myself to the fact that I had been duped. I see now, in Newark, the Kings were simply playing us hockey fans – and the Devils. Like the Wizard told that naïve and colorful pack of vagabonds at the end of The Wizard of Oz, "you had it in you all along."

So, I have already bought a tombstone for you and your 2012 season, Mr. DeBoer and Mr. Brodeur. This is one obstacle the Skating Satans cannot overcome. Los Angeles flows while New Jersey matriculates; they attack while the Devils remain timid; and the Kings appear fresh while Jersey looks beaten and abused. 

In the Eastern Conference Finals, New Jersey conquered one king, stabbing at Henrik Lundqvist until he broke in Game 6. However, in this Stanley Cup Final, they are taking on, not one, but 23 Kings; and the Devils are the ones getting stabbed.

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