Los Angeles Kings Mike Richards is introduced during a hockey news conference, Wednesday, July 27, 2011, at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, Calif. Richards was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and a 2012 second-round draft pick. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)Damian Dovarganes/The Associated Press
Line combinations are always funny, fickle things.
They change constantly, mainly when a team is struggling, and they're never quite exactly the same from one game to the next.
The New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings are no different, aside from the fact they're a combined 24-8 in these playoffs and haven't had to make wholesale changes to right the ship.
(Aside from the Kings reconstructing their woeful power play units game by game.)
Below is a look at the combinations they have been relying on in recent games and that they should be starting out the finals with in Game 1 on Wednesday.
Both teams often prefer to use their top lines and defence pairings against the opposition's best lines, so we may see the captains' lines go head-to-head in this series.
In brackets is the combined playoff goals scored by each line.
New Jersey Devils
Even strength
Parise - Zajac - Zubrus (17) Elias - Henrique - Kovalchuk (14) Ponikarovsky - Josefson - Clarkson (4) Carter - Gionta - Bernier (9)
Greene - Fayne (0) Salvador - Zidlicky (4) Volchenkov - Harrold (0)
Brodeur (Hedberg)
Extras: Sykora (2), Larsson (1), Tallinder, Sestito
Power play
Parise - Zajac - Elias Kovalchuk - Zidlicky
Clarkson - Henrique - Zubrus Kovalchuk - Harrold
Shorthanded
Parise - Zajac Salvador - Volchenkov
Elias - Zubrus Fayne - Greene
Los Angeles Kings
Even strength
Brown - Kopitar - Williams (15) Penner - Richards - Carter (11) King - Stoll - Lewis (8) Richardson - Fraser - Nolan (2)
Scuderi - Doughty (2) Mitchell - Voynov (2) Martinez - Greene (1)
Quick (Bernier)
Extras: Gagne, Clifford, Loktionov
Power play
Brown - Kopitar - Carter/Williams Richards/Martinez - Doughty
Penner - Richards - Carter Mitchell - Voynov
Shorthanded
Brown - Kopitar Mitchell - Greene
Carter - Richards (or Lewis - Stoll) Scuderi - Doughty