Game 1 Steen’s OT gives Blues win over Kings
Game 2 Jackman gives Blues 2-1 win over Kings, 2-0 lead
Game 3 Kings’ Jonathan Quick blanks Blues 1-0, trims series lead in Game 3
Game 4 LA Kings rally late, even series with Blues 4-3
Game 5 Kings beat Blues 3-2 in OT, take 3-2 series lead
Game 6 LA Kings take 4 straight, finish off St. Louis with 2-1 win in Game 6
How the Blues win: The Blues boast a plethora of behemoth forwards who have scoring touch, like David Backes, the reborn Chris Stewart and Patrik Berglund.
Round 1: BLUES vs KINGS (Los Angeles wins series 4-2) Game 1 Blues 2 Kings 1 (OT) *if necessary. All times Eastern |
Their D-core is just as big. Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester, Barret Jackman and Roman Polak are built for the rigors of playoff hockey. Because St. Louis has so much size, it does a phenomenal job stopping pucks from reaching its net. Over the past three seasons, the Blues ranked second, first and second in shots against.
How the Kings win: The Kings blew past the competition to earn last year’s Stanley Cup. Their depth and two-way play is at the center of their success. Not only does Los Angeles boast responsible yet offensively skilled forwards like Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards and Dustin Brown, but the team also has two fantastic, offensively inclined blueliners in Drew Doughty and Slava Voynov.
How the Blues lose: Unless Vladimir Tarasenko wakes up, the Blues have nothing close to a point-per-game player. They arguably boast two second lines instead of a bona fide first line. That’s a problem in the playoffs when goals are harder to come by.
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How the Kings lose: Focus has been a bugaboo for the defending champs. The Kings started poorly and were routed several times. Goalie Jonathan Quick has been more fallible than he was during his Conn Smythe run.
Blues goaltending: If Brian Elliott plays like he did in April, when he had three straight shutouts, the Blues are fine, even with Jaroslav Halak hurt. But that’s a big if.
Kings goaltending: Quick was nearly flawless en route to L.A.’s first Cup win, so it’s hard to fault him for regressing, especially since he had major back surgery in the summer. His stats have taken a big step back now, with a save percentage teetering around .900.
Blues question mark: Tarasenko had five goals and 10 points in his first eight games, but three goals and seven points in his next 24. He must learn how to elude NHL checking and improve defensively to earn more ice time. If so, he’ll re-emerge as St. Louis’ X-factor.
Kings question mark: Dustin Penner upped his game dramatically in last year’s playoffs, adding 11 points in 20 games to the cause. He had just 12 in his 29 games this season, which included a streak of healthy scratches. The big man also struggled last season, so does he just save his best efforts for the playoffs?
Blues top three fantasy players: Chris Stewart, David Backes, Alexander Steen.
Kings top three fantasy players: Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards
Odds to win the Cup: St. Louis: 15-1, Los Angeles: 12-1.
THE EDGE GOES TO… | |||||
TEAM | FORWARDS | DEFENSE | GOALTENDING | SPECIAL TEAMS | COACHING |
| Blues | X |
| EVEN | EVEN | |
| Kings | X |
| X | EVEN | EVEN |
Winner and why: The difference in this series could simply be that the Kings are battle-tested and the Blues are not. The Kings are more explosive offensively, but the Blues are a little more deep and can produce more from the blueline. One thing is certain: This will be a very difficult, very grinding series where the participants will have to battle for every inch of the ice. You have to wonder whether the winner of this series will have enough left to go much further in the playoffs. Kings in 7.
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