The Los Angeles Kings completely obliterated the St. Louis Blues in this series. Not only did they eliminate them in just four games, but the Blues only held the lead in their second round series for a mere 7:42 minutes.
One player cannot single-handily provide a team with that level of domination, but if you’re looking for the MVP of this series – and the Kings’ season to date – it’s Jonathan Quick.
“He’s same as Hasek and Belfour, never quits on a puck,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. “It’s a very unique skill, hard to find.”
Quick has provided the Kings with superior goaltending for years and he’s certainly been clicking in the playoffs. The St. Louis Blues are, like the Kings, better known for their defensive abilities, but still have a number of offensive weapons at their disposal. That never seemed to phased Quick.
He’ll face a similar set of circumstances in the Western Conference Finals. The Nashville Predators and Phoenix Coyotes are both defensively gifted squads and the next series promises to be another goaltending duel. We’ll see if either of those squads has what it takes to stop the red hot Kings and Quick.