The New Jersey Devils have a crucial edge going into the Stanley Cup final series against the Los Angeles Kings courtesy of home-ice advantage, forward Ilya Kovalchuk was quoted as saying Saturday.
The Devils reached the final for the first time since 2003 late Friday, snatching an overtime 3-2 road victory against the New York Rangers and making it 4-2 in the best-of-seven series.
Kovalchuk scored his team's second goal to climb to third in the playoffs scoring charts on seven goals, one behind Claude Giroux and Danny Briere, both of the Philadelphia Flyers.
"You know, we're in the Stanley Cup Final for a reason," Kovalchuk said. "They [New York Rangers] 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."
The first game in New Jersey is Wednesday, the second Saturday.
The Kings eliminated the Phoenix Coyotes with a 4-1 series win to reach their first Stanley Cup final in 19 years.
Four-time All-Star Kovalchuk, 29, is in his 11th season in NHL. He moved to the New Jersey Devils from the Atlanta Thrashers to become the team's top scorer with a total of 85 goals and 103 assists in three seasons.
Kovalchuk also has 31 goals and assists in his 88 Russia national team appearances, winning a world championship gold in Halifax, Canada, in 2008 and in Switzerland in 2009.
