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On May 25, 1994, Mark Messier guaranteed victory for his Rangers in a must-win game over the Devils in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. That promise was fulfilled with his hat trick in one of the most iconic performances in the history of sports.

NEWARK, N.J. -- With the ghosts of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals dragging their chains around the edges of the current conference finals between longtime rivals the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, Friday's Game 6 won’t want for drama.

“Where else would you rather be? I don’t think anyone predicted at the start of the season that we would have a chance to play a home game to move on to the Stanley Cup finals,” New Jersey head coach Pete DeBoer said. "We’re in a great spot. We worked awfully hard to get to this point, and where else would you want to be?”

His counterpart, John Tortorella, has seen his team win three elimination games already this spring and remains confident that Game 6 will be a fourth, even though he feels the Rangers might have lost a bit of their focus earlier in this series.

“I thought we lost ourselves a little bit earlier in this series,” Tortorella said. "I think we have a really good mindset right now. I think our team really embraces a challenge.”

Here’s a look at a few players whose presence might help create some fresh history in Game 6:

New York Rangers

Chris Kreider: Remember when a young Alexei Kovalev was such a dynamic part of the Rangers' Cup run in 1994, registering 21 points in 23 postseason games in his first NHL playoff action? Well, we’re not trying to compare collegiate star Chris Kreider to the talented Russian, but Kreider’s impact has been significant this spring. The 19th overall pick in the 2009 draft has five postseason goals and two assists, with two of his goals counting as game winners. Only Brad Richards, with six, has more playoff goals for the Rangers. In the conference finals, Kreider is tied for the team lead with four points. He began Game 5 playing with fellow rookie Carl Hagelin and Richards. Could he be destined for hero status in Game 6?

Brad Richards: No one in the Rangers' dressing room was taking on the Mark Messier role of ’94 and predicting a Rangers victory. But if there is one guy in the locker room who is capable of delivering on such a promise, it would be Richards, a playoff MVP in 2004. Although his game has been up-and-down this series -- he has not scored and added just three assists -- he won a crucial draw to set up the winner in Game 3 and has been involved in virtually every crucial moment in the Rangers' postseason. Tortorella predicted that Richards would play his best game Friday night, and if he does, there’s a solid chance we will return to Madison Square Garden on Sunday night for Game 7.

Henrik Lundqvist: In the three elimination games in which Henrik Lundqvist has played for the Rangers this spring, he has allowed just four goals on 77 shots. He was spectacular in the latter stages of Game 7 against the Ottawa Senators in the first round and withstood a barrage of shots in the second period of Game 7 against the Washington Capitals. He is, however, coming off a tepid performance in Game 5, when he allowed four goals on just 16 shots, including three goals on the first five shots he faced.

“We’re not expecting that again," DeBoer said. "We expect him to have his best game of the series." Playing against longtime nemesis Martin Brodeur in this game -- and a potential Game 7 -- will be a defining moment for Lundqvist.

"You know, I don't think about the last game," Lundqvist said. “During the playoffs, you don't look behind you. You always look forward to the next game. And whatever happens, the last game doesn't really matter.

"That's the way I approach it. But I think a lot of guys do the same thing. When you play, you can't think about what's going to happen, win or lose. You just have to go out there and focus on your job. You play well when you do that."

New Jersey Devils

Stephen Gionta: We could have simply included the entire fourth line of the New Jersey Devils given how dynamic the trio of Gionta, Ryan Carter and Steve Bernier has been throughout the playoffs. In this series, they have three goals and three assists, including Carter’s game winner in Game 5 set up by Gionta, who also chipped in the Devils' first goal of the game. Their continued hard work in forechecking the Rangers, drawing penalties and chipping in offense has the potential again to be a game-changer Friday night.

“You’re one win away from the final, and we know we’re going to get their best effort,” Gionta told ESPN.com on Friday. “If we stick to our game plan, I think our chances are pretty good.”

Bryce Salvador: Only Zach Parise, who has three goals and three assists in the conference finals, has more points than veteran defender Salvador's one goal and four assists. His 11 postseason points are tied for the league lead among defensemen. Beyond that, he continues to provide the kind of stability in the defensive zone that is crucial to high-pressure games like the one about to unfold Friday evening. He also leads the Devils with a plus-10 rating.

Ilya Kovalchuk: If there was a perception that Kovalchuk was more a "me" guy than a "team" guy, it certainly has been dispelled this season and in particular this spring, as he has battled through a sore back to make key plays at key times. He hasn’t been perfect. He still has the propensity for the careless pass, and there are times he has appeared out of sync. But there he was in Game 5, the first guy on the forecheck late in the third period, making a key play as Carter scored the winner with less than five minutes to play in regulation.

“I’ve said from day one he’s been all in, team first, great teammate,” DeBoer said. “We wouldn’t be here without him.”

Kovalchuk has one of two power-play goals scored by the Devils in this series and insisted he didn’t do anything special on the game winner Wednesday.

“It’s all in the time, now it’s all those little plays that make a big difference, and I was fortunate I ended up in that situation, and I just did exactly what everybody else will do," Kovalchuk said. "That’s what Pete wants us to do, first guy be very aggressive and put the pressure on their D, so that’s what I did."

An update on the coaching search for the Montreal Canadiens before I head back out on the road Monday for the Stanley Cup finals.

The sense I get is that the Habs aren’t terribly far from making their decision, my guess is sometime within the next week or two.

The candidates I continuously hear mentioned include Michel Therrien, Marc Crawford and Bob Hartley -- all three have interviewed.

Guy Carbonneau and Patrick Roy are other names that have percolated -- I think the Habs have met with both, as well -- but I’m not sure at this point how serious they are as contenders. You never know on the Roy front, but personally I would view it as a risk for a rookie GM (Marc Bergevin) to hire a rookie coach. I could be wrong, but that’s my own opinion.

Alain Vigneault would have been a serious contender for the Habs job had the Canucks decided to let him go. But that’s a moot point now with Vancouver wisely signing him to an extension.

Hartley’s situation is complicated because he is under contract to coach in Switzerland and it’s not clear whether or not he’d be able to get out to come back and coach in the NHL.

Crawford is bilingual in French and English from his days with the Quebec Nordiques. That certainly works to his favor, as does his relationship with Bergevin, who he coached in Vancouver.

Therrien, of course, is a former Habs coach but that was a decade ago and I personally don't think that should work against him. At least I wouldn’t hold it against him. Therrien’s career has grown since then, including coaching a young Pittsburgh team to within two wins of a Stanley Cup championship.

Also, I would expect the Canadiens to soon announce the hiring of executive Rick Dudley from Toronto. My sense is that will be announced before the coaching hire.

UPDATE 11:05 a.m. ET
The Canadiens announced Friday they hired Rick Dudley as their assistant general manager.

ESPNNewYork.com's Katie Strang, ESPN New York 98.7 FM's Don La Greca and ESPN NHL analyst Barry Melrose all say goaltending is the main factor in Friday's Game 6.

ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd doesn't think the NHL can be saved in the popularity contest, no matter how good the playoffs are.

First Strike Capability: The Rangers face elimination heading into Friday's Game 6. A key for New York this postseason has been scoring first. From Elias: Starting with Game 7 against Ottawa, the Rangers have won all seven games in which they scored first and lost all six games in which their opponent scored first. The Rangers have scored only four first-period goals in their last 15 games.

Ryan Carter’s goal with 4:24 left in the third period snapped a 3–3 tie and proved to be the game-winner in the Devils’ 5–3 victory over the Rangers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. It was only the fourth time in this year’s playoffs that a player scored a tiebreaking goal in the last five minutes of the third period. The three other such goals, all in the first round, were scored by the Kings’ Dustin Penner, the Bruins’ Zdeno Chara and the Capitals’ Troy Brouwer.

Peter DeBoer and John Tortorella share their thoughts on Game 5 and look ahead to their next meeting.

Wayne Gretzky kept a low profile for obvious reasons during the Western Conference finals, but you can expect to see him at Staples Center for the Stanley Cup finals.

"For sure, I’ll be at Game 3," The Great One told ESPN.com Wednesday.

Gretzky had ties to both the Los Angeles Kings, where he starred for them during their 1993 Cup finals run, and the Phoenix Coyotes, where he coached many of the players still on that team.

Wanting to stay as impartial as possible, Gretzky stayed out of the limelight and didn’t attend any of the games. Nor did you see him quoted anywhere.

"The biggest thing of all is that those two teams both earned the right to get there and both had worked so hard,” Gretzky said over the phone. "I just really felt it wasn’t my place to sort of steal some of the attention away from the players and the organizations that worked so hard to get there. I thought it was just best to stay on the sidelines that series.

"The Kings have been playing unreal. The Coyotes had an unreal year. Wow. I don’t know if anybody picked L.A.-Phoenix for the Western finals, but they both earned the right to be there, that’s for sure."

Of course, Gretzky may end up with ties to both teams in the Cup finals should the Rangers beat the Devils in the Eastern Conference finals.

"I have nothing but great memories of being in New York, and of course there’s Glen (Sather) there and Mark (Messier) part of the team," said Gretzky. "It’s a great city, a great place. Obviously the Devils still have a lot to say about things."

Gretzky, who lives in Los Angeles, is beginning to see a market that’s coming alive again for hockey, just like 19 years ago.

"They’re starting to gain some momentum, similar to what we did in ’93," said Gretzky. "The big thing about us in ’93 was that the Clippers weren’t very good and I believe the Lakers got beat out relatively early that year. Which kind of left it an open market for us. Through the first couple of rounds this year, the Clippers and Lakers were both exciting. So you’re competing with teams. Now that it’s just the Kings left standing, and obviously heading into the finals, I think you’ll find it a lot more pizzazz now. There’s already excitement now, but I think it’ll go to another level now that the Kings are the only team standing."

The comparisons to 1993 will be unavoidable given that it was the Kings’ only other trip to the Cup finals before now. Gretzky sees a better team in L.A. this time around.

"What made that team so special is that we weren’t the best team," said Gretzky. "It was very similar to this team in the sense that we started every series on the road. We had to win a really tough Game 7 in the semifinals in Toronto. We were a team that really believed in the coach and the system. ... It just was a team that came together. The reality, though, is that this L.A. team today has more depth than we had. I don’t mean this as any disrespect to our team in ’93 -- because it was a great run -- but this team is a legitimate contender that deserves to be where they’re at right now. When we lost in ’93, the best team won the Stanley Cup (Montreal). Going into the finals this year, whether it’s the Devils or the Rangers, I would tell you that L.A. is a good team and they’ll be ready to play. They’re firing on all cylinders."

Gretzky credited Kings GM Dean Lombardi for his work in assembling the team. Lombardi was under fire earlier this season when the Kings struggled. Now, as Gretzky pointed out, some of Lombardi’s moves have really paid off.

"Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick have really been special for them. Their defense is solid. (Drew) Doughty is playing his best hockey,” said Gretzky. "The trade for (Dustin) Penner has turned out to be better than most people think because he’s scored big goals and given them some size and playoff experience. The two young kids they brought up, (Jordan) Nolan and (Dwight) King, they’ve done a really nice job.

"When you build a team and you’re patient, and your management and scouting is good, you can afford to move really good players. I think when they moved (Jack) Johnson there was a little bit of surprise to some people, but they felt they had that young (Slava) Voynov ready to step in. They needed more scoring and (Jeff) Carter has helped them with that. And I really believe you need two really, really solid centermen. (Mike) Richards has really taken pressure off (Anze) Kopitar. It’s a great 1-2 punch. You can’t just check Kopitar anymore.

"Dean Lombardi has put together a really good team. They’re a well-coached team with a good system, and Darryl (Sutter) has upped the ante for them. They’ve been more aggressive and more on the puck. They don’t sit back for anything. I think their 8-0 record on the road indicates how good they really are. They can play in any building."

You get the sense Gretzky is impressed by the Kings? You better believe it. Although he’s hardly alone in that sentiment.

Rangers coach John Tortorella and left winger Mike Rupp discuss the importance of getting out to a good start in Game 5 against the Devils.

ESPN NHL analyst Barry Melrose takes you through some of the Kings playoffs games, past and present.

NEWARK, N.J. -- He is 36 years old and still among the last of the New Jersey Devils to come in from the morning skate.

Even though Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals looms a few hours in the distance, Patrik Elias is enjoying watching the coaches and extra players playing a little 3-on-3 after the morning skate.

Elias has known nothing else in his NHL life but the New Jersey Devils, a life that began with one game during the 1995-96 season and has gone on to include two Stanley Cup wins and another trip to the finals. He was named to the NHL’s all-rookie team and was an NHL first team All-Star in 2001.

He is back again, two wins from another trip to the finals. And if you expected someone who has seen it all while wearing the Devils jersey to be a little immune to all of the hoopla and the buzz, you would be disappointed.

Instead, Elias seems invigorated by it all.

“You have guys that have never been in this situation, this far, so you see the excitement here,” Elias said Wednesday. "You see, we feel like we are a good enough team to give ourselves a chance each night and it’s fun to watch. For me, even being in the third round, conference finals, you know you haven’t been here for a while so it’s great -- it’s great to experience that again.

“Every year is different, every round is different, every playoffs is different. This is a good group of guys and we’re enjoying just playing for each other."

Although Elias has just five points this spring and has gone six straight games without registering a point, he seems nonplussed.

“We’re winning, so that’s the main thing,” he said.

Certainly coach Pete DeBoer seems to have no concerns about the lack of offensive production from the veteran who moved over to left wing last game, playing with Ilya Kovalchuk and rookie Adam Henrique.

In fact, DeBoer credits Elias with being a key part of the Devils’ success all season.

“Because he’s been around, he’s been in every situation imaginable, there’s nothing that has come up this year that he hasn’t been through before. He’s got a coaching mind in the dressing room for us,” DeBoer said.

“In all honesty, it was critical that he bought into what we were selling as a coaching staff early so it would translate to the room. Probably him more than anybody, because he had played here for so long and won with an obviously different style, it was critical that we got him and Marty to buy in, and he was all-in from day one."

Elias and netminder Martin Brodeur are the last two holdovers from the Devils' glory days, and while Elias’ profile externally might be significantly lower, it is not so in the locker room.

“He’s very vocal in this room. When we’re down a goal and going into the third, he’s always one of the guys that speaks up and tells us just to keep pushing, keep doing the same things,” said forward David Clarkson.

"I haven’t played with a guy that sees the ice as well as Patty does sometimes. It’s amazing some of the plays he makes out there sometimes. I think on a leadership role, he’s really been a key part of why we’re here today."

Defenseman Marek Zidlicky has known Elias since they were teens in the Czech Republic and has played internationally with him over the years. He was excited at the prospect of joining his longtime friend when he was traded by the Minnesota Wild to New Jersey at the trade deadline this season.

"I think he’s legendary. He’s played here his whole career and he’s a pretty good player, very good guy, he’d do anything for the team," Zidlicky said.

Elias and Brodeur are anomalies, of course, choosing to stay their entire careers with one franchise, and for teammates it is something that inspires tremendous respect.

“I think it’s impressive,” Clarkson said. "Especially in today’s game, players move around and are in different places, and I think anytime you’re in one team for a long time, there’s a reason for it. It’s not just because they keep throwing contracts at you; there’s a reason why you’re there. I think being successful, him being successful and making this team successful is part of the reason he’s been here so long."

Elias is asked about his first playoff experience, which would have been in the spring of 1997, and laughs.

“Rich, what do I remember?” he said, nodding to longtime beat writer Rich Chere.

“I scored on Jocelyn Thibault my first playoff game,” Elias said, but admits he initially thought it was Jose Theodore until Chere checked and got it right.

“Hey, I was close enough. It was against Montreal,” he said.

Still, Elias isn’t one for wandering down memory lane. Not just yet.

”I’m still going. I’m still looking forward. It’s not time for me to look back yet,” he said.

Battle of the goalies, not so much: Six goals in the first two periods? The offensive floodgates opened in a big way. Not exactly a white out, guys.

That's a wrap: The Kings are off to the Stanley Cup finals and will be chilling in the California sun for a week while the Rangers and Devils beat themselves up. The Conn Smythe is Jonathan Quick's to lose.

There's no Doughty he's got a good shot: Two shots from the point that resulted in two goals, two goals that each time tied the game. This guy is having the performance of his young career.

Jeff Carter is magic: As in, he disappears every now and then. Even his assist off the Kings' third goal was off a flubbed play.

He's got next: Anze Kopitar should be the league's next superstar. Size, hands, speed -- if he were on the East Coast, he'd be more well known. (And depressed that he's not in all that sunshine.)

From the official NHL release:

NEW YORK (May 22, 2012) – The National Hockey League announced today the schedule for the 2012 Stanley Cup Final.

Based on their superior regular-season point totals, either the New York Rangers or the New Jersey Devils will host Games One and Two of the best-of-seven Final, as well as Games Five and Seven. Games Three and Four will be hosted by the Western Conference champion, either the Phoenix Coyotes or the Los Angeles Kings, as well as Game Six.

In the U.S., NBC will broadcast Games One and Two and, if necessary, Games Five through Seven of the Final, while NBC Sports Network will telecast Games Three and Four. In Canada, CBC and RDS will televise the entire series. All games also will be carried on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

NHL Network, the League's 24-hour, all-access pass to the most comprehensive hockey coverage, will feature special programming surrounding the Stanley Cup Final. NHL.com will continue to provide extensive digital coverage.

2012 Stanley Cup Final Schedule

Game Date Time (ET) Eastern Champion vs. Western Champion Networks
Game 1 Wed., May 30 8 p.m. Western Champion at Eastern Champion NBC, CBC, RDS

Game 2 Sat., June 2 8 p.m. Western Champion at Eastern Champion NBC, CBC, RDS

Game 3 Mon., June 4 8 p.m. Eastern Champion at Western Champion NBCSN, CBC, RDS

Game 4 Wed., June 6 8 p.m. Eastern Champion at Western Champion NBCSN, CBC, RDS

*Game 5 Sat., June 9 8 p.m. Western Champion at Eastern Champion NBC, CBC, RDS

*Game 6 Mon., June 11 8 p.m. Eastern Champion at Western Champion NBC, CBC, RDS

*Game 7 Wed., June 13 8 p.m. Western Champion at Eastern Champion NBC, CBC, RDS

LOS ANGELES -- There's no doubt the NHL is a copycat league, but just because the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup without a power play a year ago doesn’t mean that’s necessarily the way to go.

"No, definitely not," Kings winger Jeff Carter said Tuesday morning, after the pregame skate. "In this day and age, it’s a huge part of the game. It’s pretty tough to win the whole thing without your power play going."

The Kings are 15th on the power play out of the 16 playoff teams, with a woeful 8.6 percent success rate thanks to six goals on 70 chances. L.A.'s two power-play goals in the Phoenix series have come on two-man advantages.

A year ago, the Bruins won the Cup despite an 11.4 percent power play (10 goals on 88 chances over four rounds). Boston coach Claude Julien had to answer questions about it every day until it became a moot point with the Stanley Cup in his hands.

Like those Bruins, the Kings have been outstanding on the penalty kill -- L.A. is tops in the playoffs with a 92.2 success rate -- and are second only to New Jersey in the 5-on-5 goals for/against ratio.

"Our penalty killing has been pretty good throughout the year, too," star center Anze Kopitar said. "We took it to another level in the playoffs. That’s what you got to do. We wouldn’t win as many games as we did if our PK wasn’t as good. And we got to continue doing that."

Still, getting the odd power-play goal would be nice.

"I think we’ve been doing some good things on there, it’s just a matter of bearing down and getting the puck in the back of the net," Carter said. "Phoenix blocks a lot of shots, those guys out there really sacrifice, we’re going to have to figure it out. We need to be better at maybe making a move here and there and getting pucks to the net."

Kopitar concurs.

"Sometimes it comes down to special teams and we certainly understand that our power play has to be better," he said. "In saying that, we have quite a bit of zone time; we just can’t connect and score goals. We've got to work on that, simplify it a little bit, and get more shots."

My opinion is that the Kings are too stationary on the power play, allowing penalty killers easier looks to block passing and shooting lanes.

"I think we’re getting looks, we’re getting zone time, we've just got to get the screen or the tip or the rebound goal out of it," coach Darryl Sutter said.

Another big factor, as cliche as it sounds, is the first goal. The Coyotes and Kings are a combined 14-3 in the playoffs (Phoenix 7-2, L.A. 7-1) when scoring first. That plays larger and larger later in series as the stakes get higher.

"The NHL is really about the first goal," Sutter said. "When you get veteran coaches and experienced coaching staffs, and teams that have played together and are still playing, what they’ve done really well is play with leads. That’s why they’re still playing. It’s important. Neither team scores a lot of goals. They’re close games. So the first goal is important."

The first goal seems to put everyone at ease for the team that scores it.

"I think it just calms [everyone] down to a certain degree, so they know we’re doing things right, things are going your way," Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. "I think confidence is everything in the playoffs just because everyone is so, so close. With everyone being that close, feeling confident is big."