Stanley Cup Finals 2012: 6 Players We're Most Excited to See

The New Jersey Devils and L.A. Kings square off in the Stanley Cup Finals this year. This isn't the most likely scenario from the start of the season, but could make for a very entertaining series.

Both team have star players that are well-known and likely to play a key role in deciding who will be taking home Lord Stanley's Cup. 

Martin Brodeur may be 40, but he's still a star-caliber player. He is the best goalie in the history of hockey and will play a major role in this series.

Anyone who follows hockey knows that the team with the hot goalie usually wins the series. If Brodeur plays like he can, it's likely that the New Jersey Devils end up winning the Stanley Cup Finals.

There is no better way to call it a career than winning another championship and finishing on top.

Jeff Carter has made a big impact for the Kings during their playoff run. The Kings were the worst in the NHL in scoring through the first three-quarters of the season.

They haven't played like that during the postseason largely because of the play of Carter and his line. He made the primary assist on the game-winning overtime goal in the fifth game of the Western Conference Finals against Phoenix.

His line will need to continue to produce if the Kings are going to win the Cup.

The Devils' fourth line doesn't see the ice that often. When they do, Stephen Gionta has a knack for making a big play.

If the Devils can get consistent play from their third and fourth lines, they have a great chance of winning this series. 

The Kings have the ultimate center in Mike Richards. It was somewhat of a struggle during the regular season for Richards. He had to deal with a change of team, conference and system. He also suffered a concussion on December 1st.

Richards has played well this postseason and contributed since the Kings' first game. In Game 1 against the Vancouver Canucks, he scored a goal and had two assists. This play has carried over throughout the rest of the postseason.

Ilya Kovalchuk has been great this postseason and I don't expect that to change. He has the most points for the Devils during this run and could be a thorn in the Kings side.

I would expect to see Kovalchuk racking up a ton of points this series. If the Devils are going to win the Cup, that's just what they are going to need.

Jonathan Quick has been magnificent in goal for the Kings during the postseason. He is the main reason that the Kings are in the Stanley Cup Finals.

This guy has been basically untouchable and there is no reason to expect him to stop. He will likely be the biggest factor in the series of either team.

This may not have been the ideal matchup for the NHL in terms of ratings, but it will be extremely entertaining.

Both teams have been on incredible runs and are lead by great goal tenders. This is likely to be a very competitive series that could end up going six or seven games easily.