WQF (4) St. Louis Blues vs (5) Los Angeles Kings (Kings win 4-2).

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Regehr and the Kings any day over Boooooomeester and the stupid Blues.

Yessssss!

[moon]

This looks like it should be the best series.

Kings in 7

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

what's the best the blues pick can be (ie. best possible scenario)?

i think the kings either take this one very quickly (4 or 5) or the blues win it in 7 (OT).

will be a bruising series, two big teams.

i am excited to see the hitchcock/sutter battle, it will be a very tight checking who makes the mistake first series.

LA has Justin William as their small shy forward and Scuderi on defense.

St.L has Andy Macdonald, Oshie, Tarasenko and Shwartz who are all smaller and softer as well as Steen and Stewart who are big but more like Jokinen than Glencross.

St.L has a lot of Lady Byng candidates when you add in Berglund.

Give HItchcock credit ex-Flames washout Adam Cracknell 6-2 210 has been getting 10 minutes/game down the stretch.....

As well the Blues defense : Pietrangelo, Leopold, Shattenkirk, and of course Bouwmeester are all make love not war kind of guys.

If it turns out a physical series like LA will want ... it will be Backes, Jackman, Polak ( with small hard players Nicols and Sobotka) trying to stand up to the LA hoards

[Street Pharmacist]

Backes is the most physical forward on either team imo

[Sylvanfan]

This is where Sutter will really have to motivate his guys. Hitchcock and the Blues probably want this series more than anything. The Blues and their players really have a lot to prove here, and the Kings may not be as hungry. I can see the Blues taking this in 5 because they have to be really motivated.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Backes is the most physical forward on either team imo

agree.... but then you get about 8-9 King forwards (Brown, Stoll, Clifford, Lewis, fraser,Nolan, King, Richards, Kopitar) where the Blues have Sobotka and Porter and 4th liner Reaves

On defense Polak and Jackman are warriors but so are Doughty and Regher. After that Greene, Muzzin and Voynov are considerably tougher than the St.L D.

[OILFAN #81]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Backes is the most physical forward on either team imo

I think it's him or Dustin Brown.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

This is where Sutter will really have to motivate his guys. Hitchcock and the Blues probably want this series more than anything. The Blues and their players really have a lot to prove here, and the Kings may not be as hungry. I can see the Blues taking this in 5 because they have to be really motivated.

can Hitchcock motivate Bouwmeester? You know that wave after wave of Kings forwards will be crashing the crease..... will Bouwmeester be getting in their way.... or checking their sticks.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

I think it's him or Dustin Brown.

I would say Brown throws more hits, but Backes is just a beast out there. He throws what look like soft hits with or without the puck and just devastates the opposition, whereas Brown runs around a bit. I think Backes is scarier

[Hockey_Ninja]

This should go to 7 games. I say the Kings will take it.

[keenan87]

Kings in 7... this is going to be the closest series imo

[dammage79]

Kings in 6. Although for drafting purposes the faster the Blues are out the better.

[hwy19man]

This series will be on TSN, the NHL Network just showed this.

[t0rrent98]

no repeat for the Kings... Blues in 7.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

Blues in 6

[FBI]

So if the Kings win this one (I am thinking/hoping they will), What will the STL pick be?

[GreenLantern]

Definitely going to be one of the gems in the first round, I can't say the gem because there is always a surprise series.

I honestly think this could go either way, but I see 7 games.

[transplant99]

Blues will win the West IMO. 6 games.

[Stay Golden]

LA in 5, Bouwmeester gets abused.

[Brick]

LAK in 4.