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Discuss: Kings push Blues to 3-0 brink with 4-2 win

As deceptive as it might be to call the Los Angeles Kings the eighth seed in the West, it’s literally true. The on-paper talent and acumen behind the bench indicates they’re much more than that, but even so, it’s confounding that they crushed the Vancouver Canucks in round one and seem primed to do the same against the second seed in round two.

The series shifted to the Staples Center, yet that didn’t change much as the Kings bested the St. Louis Blues 4-2 to take a daunting 3-0 series lead. Let’s get the questions rolling.


  • Look, I know Jake Allen is thedefinition of “NHL-unproven,” but does Ken Hitchcock have any choice but to give him a shot? It’s not like inexperienced goalies haven’t surprised in 2012 (his name rhymes with Maiden Shmoltby.) So let me ask: should they go with Allen or play it safer with Brian Elliott -who doesn’t seem to have much confidence right now.
  • The Kings’ scoring differential through eight playoff games: 24-14. This is against the top two seeds in the West, if you needed another reminder.
  • The Los Angeles Kings opened up their second 3-0 series lead of the playoffs. They’ve also revealed a considerable “killer instinct” in answering Blues goals with resounding speed. Can they close out St. Louis quickly?
  • Speaking of which, can the Blues actually come back? What kind of odds do you give them?
  • Alex Pietrangelo collected an assist and a -1 rating in 26:34 of ice time. Maybe he’s not 100 percent, but Hitchcock used him quite a bit anyway.