Pre-Game: Blues vs Kings - Who's it gonna be?

The Blues and Kings square off tonight at Scottrade.  Although those are the scheduled teams, many hockey fans are wondering which teams will actually show up.  Will the Blues arrive as the Blues of Sweden or the ones that lost to Atlanta?  Will LA arrive as the Kings of the past two or three years, or will they be the team that has scored an average of five goals in their first three games of the season?  Hopefully for us spectators, the best of both teams show up to bring us, what should be, one hell of a hockey game.

The Blues obviously turned some heads in their first three games this year.  Beating Detroit once is quite an accomplishment, and beating them twice in back to back games is something most teams can't brag about.  The Blues certainly showed some resiliency, coming back from two goal deficits in both games, and then being able to hold on to that lead.  It is somewhat alarming, however, that the Blues are playing catch-up in all three games this early season.  Chris Mason has looked sharp at times in his first two games, but at other times a bit sluggish.  He had several key saves in the first game in Sweden, saves that proved to be game changers and game savers.  And against Atlanta, after giving up three goals, he shut the door and gave the Blues a chance to come back.  Watch for Mason to shake off the pre-season rust and return to last year's form, sooner rather than later.  The more games he plays, the stronger he gets, evidenced last year with the Blues' playoff run.

The Blues defensive corps will have to step up their game with the absence of Barret Jackman.  The Blues have done a pretty decent job of keeping the puck out of their own net; only five teams in the Western Conference have given up less goals, and they didn't have to face the high octane Redwings offense in back to back games.  With Jackman out, Alex Pietrangelo will get his chance to show he's ready for the NHL.  Last year in eight games with the big squad, Pietrangelo had a powerplay assist, two penalty minutes and seven shots on goal.  He didn't do anything to separate himself from the pack in the eyes of Andy Murray and upper management - other than the fact that he was an 18 year old rookie who, at the very least, held his own against some of the top players in the NHL.  Pietrangelo is slated to be on a line with Erik Johnson.

The Blues have also scored their fair share of goals to start out this young season.  Keith Tkachuk has started off on a strong note, just like last year, with six points in three games.  Paul Kariya has also picked up where he left off prior to last year's injury.  In his past 14 regular season games, Kariya has 19 points.  The Blues currently have six players averaging a point per game.  That must be a comforting feeling for fans and management.  That means the scoring is spread out and isn't placed solely on any one player's shoulders.  In fact, all but five players on the Blues roster have at least a point in these first three games.  Contributions from all around make for a happy team.

The Kings' achilles heel continues to be goaltending.  So far this year, Jon Quick is sporting a 4.34gaa and .850sv%, certainly nothing to write home about.  Quick has one career game against the Blues, a 2-0 loss last year, where he stopped 21 of 23 shots.  But LA feels Quick could be the man to lead their team, and are going to give him every opportunity to prove it.  Last year Quick played 41 games, going 21-18 with four shutouts, a 2.48gaa, and .914sv%.  If he can duplicate or improve on that this year, coupled with the Kings offense, LA could find themselves fighting for a playoff spot in April.  

LA's offensive firepower mainly consists of Anze Kopitar, Ryan Smyth, and Alexander Frolov.  But so far this year, even guys like Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, and Justin Williams have joined in the fun.  Kopitar, who just turned 22 in August, is one of the league's bright young stars.  He has just begun his fourth full year, tallying eight points in three games.  Ryan Smyth (3 goals, 6 points) hopes to put up solid numbers again like last year, entering his 16th year in the league and first with LA.  Frolov has been another bright spot for the Kings, hoping to return to the 70 point plateau with a strong start this year.

If the Blues of Sweden show up to face the Kings of 2009-10, fans are in for a treat.  Scottrade will be rockin'.  Expect lots of hits, great saves, and most importantly, a Blues win.  

My prediction: Blues 4 Kings 2