– From staff and news services

NEWARK, N.J. – A little less than two years after competing for the services of high-scoring free-agent forward Ilya Kovalchuk, the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings are going after a bigger prize — the Stanley Cup.

To tell the truth, hardly anyone picked the Devils and Kings to get this far.

The odds were lottery-like, and the teams beat them with authority in reaching a series that will open tonight at the Prudential Center.

“You hear it every year but it doesn’t get old: Once you make it in, you have a chance to get here,” Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said. “I think that’s one thing that the prognosticators don’t consider. I always put it this way, when the playoffs start, the clocks should be reset. Because everyone’s starting over and all 16 teams have a shot to win it all.”

Led by Kovalchuk and a 40-year-old Martin Brodeur, the Devils are just the second No. 6 seed to reach the final. The 2004 Calgary Flames, who were coached by Sutter, were the other.

Riding the goaltending of Jonathan Quick, the Kings overcame even bigger obstacles. They are only the second No. 8 seed to make it since the conference-based NHL playoff format was introduced in 1993-94. The Edmonton Oilers were the first in 2006.

“It’s all about winning here, and eliminating distractions and doing what it takes to be successful,” said Brodeur, who led the Devils to Cups in 1995, 2000 and 2003. “That’s worked for us this year, and really my entire career. For me, to be a part of that is great. To come to the rink every day during my career, knowing we had a chance to win every night is something special.

“I’ve had that my whole career here, and that’s been a great ride.”

While this isn’t a glamour series that boasts the likes of a Sidney Crosby, a Steven Stamkos or even a Henrik Lundqvist, it has elements that should help the NHL, and prove entertaining on the ice.

To start, this is an East-West series featuring two of the nation’s biggest media markets in Los Angeles and the New York metropolitan area.

But the Kings and Devils also present great story lines.

Los Angeles, which heavily courted Kovalchuk in free agency, is making only its second appearance in a Cup final, having lost in 1993 to Montreal. The Kings are back, though, after a midseason shakeup that saw Sutter replace Terry Murray just before Christmas and a late trade that added skilled scorer Jeff Carter to the lineup. Still, they didn’t clinch a playoff berth until the final week of the season.

But in the postseason, the Kings have been virtually unstoppable. They have posted a 12-2 record and knocked off the three top seeds in the Western Conference — Vancouver, St. Louis and Phoenix. They have never trailed in a series, winning the first three games in each round.

The Devils’ story is just as good.

New Jersey won its final six games in the regular season, rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the opening round of the playoffs with two overtime wins against Florida, and then eliminated the Flyers and Rangers, their two biggest rivals, in five and six games, respectively.

NOTES

The Phoenix Coyotes, parent of the Portland Pirates, signed forward Phil Lane to a three-year entry contract. Lane was selected in the second round of the 2010 draft. The Blackhawks agreed to a three-year contract extension with defenseman Johnny Oduya and a one-year extension for forward Jamal Mayers.

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