The series between the Los Angeles Kings and the St. Louis Blues is proving to be tighter than ever. The Blues held a 2-0 lead against the defending Stanley Cup champions until the Kings were able to squeeze out a 1-0 win at home on Saturday. If they can pull off another tight victory to tie the series up, it suddenly becomes a best-of-3 challenge.
The two Western Conference teams have certainly made this opening series exciting. Both teams have combined for a mere seven goals, while no one has led for more than one goal during the series. With both teams demonstrating tough defenses and outstanding goaltending, this series is anyone's game.
Jonathan Quick showed why he is the defending Conn Smythe trophy winner during Game 3, making 30 saves to protect a one goal lead. After a dominating 2012 playoff run, he has returned to stop 93 of the Blues' 97 total shots of the series. On the other side, Brian Elliott has stopped 76 of 79 shots by the Kings.
The Blues are hoping to win their second playoff series since 2002. The fourth-seeded team has done their part so far taking the first two games at home, but they have to prove they can stand tall against a Kings team that is notoriously good at home. Los Angeles has the NHL's best home record at 30-4-1. They have won every game at the Staples Center since March 23. St. Louis on the other had has lost six straight games there, dating back to the 2010-11 season.
The Kings returned to the playoffs with almost the exact same roster as the 2012 championship team. They must prove that their win last season was not some sort of fluke after winning as the eighth seed.
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