After the first 10 minutes of Game 1, it might not have been shocking to hear that Game 2 of the Los Angeles Kings-St. Louis Blues contest would feature a 4-0 lead. Few would have expected the Kings to hold that advantage over the second-seeded Blues after 20 minutes, though.
The Kings already have a 1-0 series lead so the defensively solid Blues face the disturbing thought of going to Los Angeles down 2-0. Brian Elliott shouldn’t get sole blame for St. Louis generally looking flat and flustered, yet many Blues fans probably wish that Jaroslav Halak was available for relief work.
Halak is still banged up from an injury he suffered in the first round, however, so Ken Hitchcock would be forced to turn to promising but inexperienced prospect Jake Allen if he wants to make a change in net.
It’s a stunning set of events for a notably silent St. Louis crowd, so the big question is: can the Blues bounce back in Game 2 or in the series in general? We will find out as the game goes along, but 4-0 might just be too much for St. Louis.
(Although the San Jose Sharks might note to their first round opponents that the Kings aren’t unbeatable in such a scenario ...)
Here’s the early Mike Richards goal that began the chaos: