The playoff magic that the Los Angeles Kings possessed in 2012 appeared to be absent in the team's Game 1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Alexander Steen's overtime goal gave the Blues the victory over the defending Stanley Cup champs and the team now has the upper hand heading into Game 2. The Blues are in search of a little revenge on the Kings after Los Angeles swept them in the second round series of the playoffs last season. Head coach Ken Hitchcock believes the team has the momentum this time around.
In 2012, the Kings never faced a series deficit, gaining a 3-0 lead in each round. This year will be much different. The team showed a small amount of life when Justin Williams scored towards the end of the third period, but other than that, they were ineffective. Goalie Jonathan Quick did not play terrible, recording 40 saves on the night, but the one mistake could come back to haunt the team. His mis-handling of the puck led to the winning goal. If Quick can minimize the errors, the Kings have a better shot in Game 2.
The Blues clearly came prepared for a team that took them by surprise last season. Goalie Brian Elliott continued his regular-season success into the playoffs, recording 28 saves in the team win. Steen entered the series with one goal in the 13 career playoff appearances and proceeded to knock in two goals on Tuesday. The Blues real strength came in their defense. They allowed only 29 shots on goal for the entire game. The team looked more like the Blues that were able to win 12 of their last 15 games in order to earn home-ice advantage and the No. 4 seed.
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