Hi guys, it's Sarah... your all-knowing-of-all-the-things-sports lover/knower/reporter. I haven't had time to blog in the past week because I've been busy watching all the sports. To make up for it, I've prepared a special treat for all of you. That I wrote all by myself.
As many of you surely know, the Los Angeles Kings are coming to Saint Louis Saturday to
begin a seven game series for the right to head to the Western Conference Finals and a chance
to go to the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s bound to be a tough fought series between two defensive
minded teams, and promises to be one of the better series of the entire playoffs. Let’s take a look
at the breakdown.
Wingers/Centers: As has been written all year, the Blues are generally thought of as a low
scoring team. However, they had more total goals this year than the Kings, and they seem, on
paper, to match up well with the Kings. Alex Steen, Andy McDonald, David Backes, and David
Perron will have to play their best against the likes of Mike Richards, Anze Kopitar, and the rest
of the Kings, but the Blues should have the advantage here.
Defensemen: Perhaps where the Blues play their best hockey, Alex Pietrangelo, Roman Polak,
Barret Jackman, and the rest of the Blues defensemen have stopped teams all year long from
scoring many goals thanks to a great forecheck. However, they don’t get much offense from
these guys, often relying solely on Pietrangelo for an offensive output from this unit. On the
other side, Kings’ defensemen have given up more goals this year, but seem to have more
offensive output than the Blues. We’ll call this a push.
Goaltending: Both Johnny Quick and Brian Elliot are studs and have been all year long.
However, it’s going to get interesting when and if Jaroslav Halak is back healthy for the Blues.
If Elliot is playing well, does he get the nod the rest of the way or does Halak supplant him when
he’s ready to go? Regardless, this seems like a push.
Special Teams: Blues have been great on the power play and penalty kill, especially recently in
the first round series with the Sharks. Kings have been just average all year. Advantage Blues.
Coaching: Ken Hitchcock has been here several times before, winning a Stanley Cup with
Dallas and leading several other teams to the playoffs in his long career in the NHL. Darryl
Sutter has also been around the bend a few times, but never getting past the second round until
2003, when he lost the Stanley Cup Finals to Chicago. Advantage Blues.
Intangibles: There is no doubt the Blues are a very young team, with many players playing in
their first or second playoffs. Los Angeles has a few more veterans lining their bench, so we’ll
give the edge to them.
Prediction: The Kings are red hot right now, having knocked off Presidents’ Trophy winner
Vancouver in just five games in the first round. Johnny Quick is one of the best goalies in the
league, and the Kings have at least an average offense. However, I think the Blues are the better
team, especially at home, and that will be made evident in the series. Blues in 6.
And there you go. Just another one of my sports expert opinions.
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