Flames by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Max Pacioretty (51)
Goals Leader: Max Pacioretty (27)
Goalie: Cam Talbot (32 W, 0.901 PCT, 2.79 GAA)

Devils by the Numbers:
Points Leader: Wayne Simmonds (81)
Goals Leader: Wayne Simmonds (39)
Goalie: Devan Dubnyk (41 W, 0.919 PCT, 2.35 GAA)

Regular Season Head to Head: New Jersey (2-0-0-0)


Playoffs By the Numbers:

Calgary:
Points Leader: Max Pacioretty (15)
Goals Leader: Max Pacioretty (6)
Goalie: Cam Talbot (11-2, 0.916 PCT, 2.36 GAA)

New Jersey:
Points Leader: Wayne Simmonds (21)
Goals Leader: Wayne Simmonds (8)
Goalie: Devan Dubnyk (11-5, 0.935 PCT, 2.08 GAA)


Analysis:
It’s the Calgary Flames versus the New Jersey Devils in the 2018 BRHL Stanley Cup finals!

For Calgary, this is their first ever appearance in the finals after exacting revenge on the Nashville Predators, who took the Flames out of the playoffs last season, in a Western Conference finals rematch.  For New Jersey, they’ll be attempting to win their second cup after winning it all back in the 2013/14 season against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Flames have been rolling in these playoffs thus far with only two losses in their first three series.  Think on that one; only two losses against three… ok, two, two of the best teams in the west this season.  Granted they have had a bit of luck on their side as mentioned before with the Blues losing starting net minder and being gifted a series against the not-ready-for-primetime LA Kings, but as the saying goes, you have to be good to be lucky and boy have they been good this playoffs.

Only two players on the Flames roster currently do not have at least one goal in these playoffs; Calgary has had contributions from all four of its forward lines led by their top line of Monahan, Pacioretty, and Saad who have combined for a whopping 14 goals and 43 points in just 14 games.  And while Cam Talbot’s numbers are only average, he’s only had two blow out losses so far in the playoffs and has, on average, limited the opposition to 3 goals or less.

On the opposite side of the rink, the New Jersey Devils have had a less easy of a road to the cup finals with their second round series against cross town rivals the New York Rangers going the distance before the Devils eventually prevailed in game 7.  It was shades of last season’s playoffs when the then heavily favored Devils were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the upstart Tampa Bay Lightning.

But New Jersey rebounded from this scare and it was in the Eastern conference finals where the Devils shone, outscoring the Ottawa Senators 17 to 9 enroute to a relatively easy 4 games to 1 series victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Not shy on firepower in their own right, the Devil’s top line of Stastny, Foligno and Simmonds have combined for 19 goals and 46 points in the 17 games New Jersey has played so far in the playoffs with Alex Goligoski chipping in with a pair of goals and 10 helpers from their blueline.  And of course, goalie Devon Dubnyk has been his usual stellar self for New Jersey with an impressive GAA of 2.08 and a 0.935 save percentage in the 16 games he’s started in these playoffs thus far.

Head to head the Devils won the season series against the Flames two games to none; but that was then and this is now.

Prediction:
At the beginning of these playoffs, who should come out on top between these two teams would have been a no-brainer.  The New Jersey Devils were the model of consistency all season long and were among the top 3 teams in the East from the start of the season.   The Calgary Flames on the other hand were the model of inconsistency all season long as they struggled to hit their stride and arguably only made the playoffs because they were the best team in the steaming pile of dogshit that was the Pacific Division this year; and even then it was touch and go for a while there.

But as stated in all of the previous round previews, the Flames have found their stride in these playoffs and now find themselves on the cusp of their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

The problem for Calgary is that the Devils are the most complete team they’ve had to face so far.  In the St. Louis Blues they faced a team that had strong offence and a solid blue line, but due to the injury to Matt Murray, didn’t have any goaltending.  In the LA Kings, the Flames faced an inexperienced team with lots of big names and plenty of offense, but can’t play defense if their lives depended on it.  In the Nashville Predators, Calgary was up against a team that played a solid team defensive game and had the goaltending, but were offensively suspect.

But in the New Jersey Devils, they face a team that has the offence, the defense, and the goaltending.  As evidenced in their first three series, the Devils can win in an old fashioned shooting gallery type game where the last one to score wins; and they can win in a defensive shut-down type game where first one to score wins.

The Calgary Flames have a very bright future ahead of them and will definitely win a Stanley Cup in the BRHL; just not this year.  The New Jersey Devils will win their second Stanley Cup in 6 games.