The fifth-seeded Los Angeles Kings begin the defense of their Stanley Cup championship when they visit the fourth-seeded St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series on Tuesday. Los Angeles has had its way with St. Louis of late, winning the final meeting of the 2011-12 season before sweeping both their second-round series last postseason and their three-game set this campaign. The Kings outscored the Blues 15-6 in their 2012 playoff matchup and 14-7 this season.
Los Angeles struggled on the road down the stretch, going 0-4-2 over its last six games away from home. Ending that skid will not be easy for the Kings, as St. Louis enters the series with a six-game home winning streak during which it has allowed one goal in each contest. The clubs are meeting in the playoffs for the fourth time, with each of the first three series finishing in sweeps. The Blues were victorious in 1969 and 1998 before the Kings claimed last year's matchup.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CNBC, CBC, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
ABOUT THE KINGS (27-16-5): Los Angeles will have its captain in tow as Dustin Brown finished serving the two-game suspension he received for elbowing Minnesota's Jason Pominville in the head last Tuesday. Brown played a major role for the Kings last postseason, when they eliminated the first, second and third seeds in the West before defeating the New Jersey Devils to become the first No. 8 seed to win the Stanley Cup. Jonathan Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP but has had his ups and downs this season before finishing 5-1-1 over his last seven starts. If Los Angeles hopes to become the first team to repeat since the 1998 Detroit Red Wings, it may need to duplicate its road success from last postseason, when it won its first 10 road games before dropping Game 5 of the Finals in New Jersey.
ABOUT THE BLUES (29-17-2): Once again, depth at the goaltending position has paid huge dividends for St. Louis. After Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott teamed up to win the Jennings Trophy last season, the latter has filled in spectacularly while the former has been out with a groin injury. Elliott went 11-2-0 in April, allowing fewer than two goals 10 times while starting the month with a five-game winning streak that included three straight shutouts. For his efforts, Elliott was named the NHL's Second Star of the Month. St. Louis improved an already formidable defense corps by adding Jordan Leopold and Jay Bouwmeester before the trade deadline. Bouwmeester, who will be making the first playoff appearance of his 10-year career, also contributed offensively by recording seven points in 14 games.
OVERTIME
1. The Blues have not defeated the Kings since posting a 1-0 home victory on Feb. 3, 2012.
2. Los Angeles has won 10 of the last 11 meetings, including each of the last four in St. Louis.
3. Kings C Jeff Carter scored three of his team-leading 26 goals this season against the Blues.
PREDICTION: Kings 2, Blues 1