Devils confident of King-size upset

The New Jersey Devils scored a dramatic overtime winner in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against arch rivals New York Rangers to seal the series 4-2 and book their place in the Stanley Cup Finals (Devils 23/20 Outright with bet365).

Adam Henrique was on hand to slam home his second overtime winner of the play-offs after goaltender Henrik Lundqvist failed to cover Ilya Kovalchuk’s slapshot just 63 seconds into the first extra period.

The Devils are now closing in on their first Stanley Cup since 2003 and will take on the 20/27 favourites with bet365 Los Angeles Kings, who have been able to rest any tired legs after securing their berth three days ago with a 4-1 series win over the Phoenix Coyotes.

Despite being the underdogs, the Devils have home advantage by virtue of the fact that they scored more points in the regular season – and Kovalchuk feels that will benefit his team in the best-of-seven series.

“You know, we’re in the Stanley Cup Final for a reason,” Kovalchuk said. “They were really good on the road all playoffs long, but I don’t think they faced a team like us yet. It’s nice we start at home, and I think that’s going to be a big advantage for us.”

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals will take place at Prudential Center on Wednesday with the Devils looking to become the first team to beat the Kings at home in the playoffs.

NHL’s inaction leaves Miller livid

Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller is unhappy that the NHL have decided not to discipline Milan Lucic after the Boston forward clattered into him during the weekend clash between the two sides, which the Bruins won 6-2.

Miller is suffering from concussion-like headaches and does not accept Lucic’s assertion that he tried to avoid a collision that was so hard it knocked Miller’s mask off. Those placing a bet on hockey will have their own views.

When asked about the incident, the 31-year-old, who has been a stalwart for the Sabres since 2005, said: “I’m not going to be happy about it, but hopefully I’m playing hockey sooner than later.

“I think he said what he had to say to avoid being suspended. It’s the NHL. The guy can skate. He can stop. He can turn. He can pick his head up.”

Miller was hurt 14 minutes into the first period of the game when Lucic was issued with a two-minute minor for charging. The Sabres star continued playing until the end of the second period when he began experiencing tightness in his neck and fatigue. Backup goalie Jhonas Enroth replaced him at the start of the third period.

It is the second time that Miller has sustained a concussion in eight months. He missed four games in March after being struck by shots to the mask in consecutive games.

The Sabres have won five of their last six games and are now top of the Northeast Division with 11 victories from 17 matches.

Meanwhile, general manager Darcy Regier has confirmed that the club have recalled forward Corey Tropp from American Hockey League side Rochester Americans.

NHL clubs go shopping

It’s transfer season in the NHL and many of the big clubs have gone shopping.

Calgary Flames (42 on Betfair to win the 2010/2011 Stanley Cup) have confirmed the re-signing of defenseman Matt Pelech on a one year deal. He was Calgary’s first-round selection (Number 26) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and has spent three years in professional ice hockey.

He spent last season at AHL Abbotsford Heat, scoring two goals and ten points. However, he only featured in 42 games due to being out of action for three months with a blood clot disorder. He is returning to the side for which he played in the 2008/2009 season, when he played in five games and provided three assists.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Kings (20 on Betfair to win the 2010/2011 Stanley Cup) have signed forwards Rich Clune, Trevor Lewis, Corey Elkins and Marc-Andre Cliche on one year deals. This is in addition to the signing of forward Brad Richardson, which was also completed on Saturday. This is another one year contract.

In 2009/2010 for Kings, Richardson notched career-highs in the regular season for games played (81), assists (16) and points (27).

Lewis had no points or penalty minutes in five games for Kings last time around and was loaned out to Manchester last October. There he registered seven points (5 goals, 2 assists)  and 6 PIM in 23 regular-season games. He missed 47 games between November and March but then had 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists), 10 PIM and a team-leading 52 shots in 16 playoff games. This helped the Monarchs reach the AHL’s Eastern Conference Finals. In 11 NHL games in his career, all with the Kings, he has picked up 1 goal, 2 assists and zero penalty minutes.

Cliche played only one game for the Kings last season but was alternate captain at the Monarchs, where he scored 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) and 45 PIM in 66 regular-season games. He earned two points (1 goal, 1 assist) and 8 PIM in 12 playoff games with Manchester.

Last season, Elkins scored an average of a goal every three games for the Kings. He also scored 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists) and 24 PIM in 73 regular-season games with the Monarchs. He also notched up eight points (3 goals and 5 assists) and zero penalty minutes as Manchester made it to the AHL Eastern Conference Finals.

Clune’s Kings record reads a pair of assists and 26 penalty minutes in 14 regular-season games. He also notched up five penalty minutes in four playoff games. He spent most of last season at American Hockey League’s Manchester Monarchs where he scored 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) and 126 PIM in 44 games.

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