Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
When the playoff matchups were finally announced at the end of the regular season, many predicted the series between the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues would be the best first round matchup. Both teams have the skill to advance to the later rounds and have players who can put the team on their back.
Although the series looks to be an exciting, it probably won’t be a high scoring one because both teams have great defense and goalies. Game one was exactly what everyone predicted as St. Louis played an extremely physical game, and the Kings didn’t shy away from hits either. Game one represents exactly what the rest of this series should be.
This series is going to be close and gritty based on the two teams. The Kings and Blues are two of the biggest teams in the league and also have the speed to make that size devastating. Captains Dustin Brown and David Backes provided a great matchup last year when they both traded bone-crunching hits. Other players like Dustin Penner, Dwight King, and Ryan Reaves will be sure to provide grit for both teams.
If you watched the Kings playoff run last year, you would have experience some of Jonathon Quick’s greatest moments. In the regular season last year, Brian Elliot also showed he was an elite goaltender. While both have had trouble this season, they are still capable of stealing a few games based on pure skill. Be expected to see more close games with low scoring and overtime.
