Kings vs. Blues Final Score: Los Angeles Edges St. Louis to Win Series 4-2
By Josh Hill
The defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings had a bit of trouble off the bat with the sleeper St. Louis Blues, but that’s all in the past now as the Kings have edged the Blues in six games to slide into a likely Western Conference semifinal showdown with the Anaheim Ducks. If the Ducks lose their series against the Red Wings, then the Kings will be facing the San Jose Sharks in the next round, but that’s a mystery that Los Angeles is happy to be a part of.
THings were a little rough to start for L.A. as they fell in Game 1 to the Blues, a team many had pegged as a potential sleeper team in the Western Conference. But the Kings are the defending champs for a reason and they’ve been through this before. Last year they played the Blues but swept them in an easier fashion than they won this series.
But no matter how it happened, the Kings are moving on and their defense of the Stanley Cup continues.
As for the Blues, the sleeper edge they had only carried them to two wins in the series, which is without a doubt a devastating disappointment for everyone in St. Louis. But there is some credit to be handed to the Blues as unlike other series where teams are evenly matched, they never allowed the Kings to get out of control on them, as the Blues never lost a game by a margin bigger than a single goal.
Still, that’s all it takes in hockey to win a game and the Blues were on the wrong side of one-goal games far too often.
The close games are a testament to the netminding of Jonathan Quick, who is going to be a guy the Kings live and die by as they push towards defending their title. A series against the Chicago Blackhawks is something Los Angeles is not looking forward to, but it’s going to be something they’ll have to consider in their journey this postseason.
However, they’ve got one notch under their belt this year, and for now that’s all they need.