When the Stanley Cup finals begin on Wednesday, the New York Rangers will be underdogs.
The Rangers rode a wave of emotion after the death of the mother of Martin St Louis, the veteran winger, all the way to the Eastern Conference title.
Their Western Conference counterpart was being decided Monday morning, with the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings playing Game 7 of their series. Regardless of whether the Hawks or Kings win, they will be favoured to take home the Stanley Cup. These are powerhouses that combine speed and size and have won three of the past four cups.
Read more: Barry Trotz is not final piece to Russian puzzle in Washington
But everybody loves an underdog, so let us try to make a case for the Rangers winning.
First, they need to win Game 1. The Rangers will have had five days off after eliminating Montreal in six games. The Rangers will be the road team, but Game 1 represents a clear chance to seize the initiative against an opponent that might experience a letdown after the western final, played at a breakneck pace.
The Rangers coach, Alain Vigneault, coached Vancouver in the 2011 Cup final. His teams’ hallmarks are depth, speed and puck movement.
The Rangers have enough speed to match, but not surpass, their western opponents, whoever they might be. So, no advantage there.
As for depth and puck movement, New York have a better chance of exploiting these strengths against Chicago than Los Angeles.
In the first six games of the Chicago-LA series, the Kings were consistent and unrelenting. Chicago had more ups and downs, and took dumb penalties. It is almost like, having won two cups, they need to be at death’s door before they feel a sense of urgency.
Part of the reason Chicago had their downs was a lack of depth. Johnny Oduya makes mistakes on defence. In Game 3 against Los Angeles, he wasn’t guarding Jeff Carter in front of the net – or anyone, for that matter – on the goalmouth score that made it 3-2 for LA, and he blocked Corey Crawford’s line of vision on the shot that made it 4-2.
Crawford, too, was inconsistent in the series. New York have a better goalie in Henrik Lundqvist, though LA have Lundqvist’s match in Jonathan Quick.
In the end, it is hard to picture the Rangers beating LA. The Kings play suffocating hockey and the Rangers do not have the skill to overcome that. The Rangers would have a better shot against Chicago.
Still, the west should win. Monday’s game between Chicago and LA? That was the Stanley Cup final.
rmckenzie@thenational.ae
Follow our sports coverage on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
Company%20Profile
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Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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No%20Windmills%20in%20Basra
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if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
RESULTS
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Results
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47