Stanley Cup Preview: Blues vs. Kings*

Both these teams took care of business in the first round in 5 games. The Blues disposed of the Sharks. The Kings eliminated the Canucks. So the Blues and Kings knocked out a pair of perennial playoff chokers. What's the big deal?

Well both teams have outstanding goaltending. Jonathan Quick had a .953 SV% against Vancouver. The Blues have Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott. Halak's ankle is still hurt, so Elliott will start in net for St. Louis. Both teams also have lines capable of shutting down an opponents' top line.

So yeah, there probably won't be much scoring in this series.

So where will the difference be? Maybe the Power Play. The Blues did well against San Jose in this department. While LA struggled against the Canucks. LA has the ability to prevent goals. But they aren't explosive enough to pull ahead in 2-1 or 3-2 games. The Blues are. And I think the Blues are just slightly tougher and will gut out a tough series.

Blues in 8 (because there will be 7 games plus a few OTs).

Series schedule:
1: Saturday 4/28 - 7:30pm - LAK @ STL - NBC Sports
2: Monday 4/30 - 9:00pm - LAK @ STL - CNBC
3: Thursday 5/3 - 10:00pm - STL @ LAK - NBC Sports
4: Sunday 5/6 - 3:00pm - STL @ LAK - NBC
5: Tuesday 5/8 - tba - LAK @ STL - CNBC
6: Thursday 5/10 - tba - STL @ LAK - tba
7: Saturday 5/12 - tba - LAK @ STL - tba