The west coast road trip concludes with the LA Kings. Our 1967 classmate has had to deal with injuries this year, both in their top scoring line and also on the D. Nonetheless, they've still maintained a winning record, and have gone 3-2 in their last 5. There's more to the story, though. On Thursday, they lost to the Red Wings 2-1, but had 52 shots on goal in the effort. Before that game, they won 3 straight; allowing only 2 goals to the Sharks and only 1 goal to the Washington Capitals in that span. The Kings also have the benefit of Olympic-bound Jonathan Quick in goal (2.55 / 91%).

For the Blues to begin winning again, we'll need to do something similar; reduce the opponents' scoring chances, and get plenty of shots on goal ourselves. It seems obvious, and it is, but the Blues certainly seemed to have missed the net point lately. The Blues have risen to the challenge before, and we'll definitely need to do it tonight.

One positive that I've noticed from the Payne era is in neutral-zone play. As was mentioned by Panger on a recent telecast, the Blues have made it tougher for the other team to carry the puck into our end. That's a good thing. This should make us that much tougher to play against overall. We should get some turnovers out of this, and eventually, scoring opportunities.

Bringing it back to the music, the toughest part of LA has gotta be South Central. So, to wrap up Mash-Up Week, I bring you:

Smells like Compton/ Cheekyboy (NWA vs Nirvana)

Further Reading:

Blues vs Kings coverage

Battle of California

This is also your pregame pre-party. Puck drops at 9:30, the GDT should be up shortly before. Sometime today, check out a FanShot I put up last night, here. I was pretty proud of it. Until game time, get together here, bitch about the cold, make your NFL playoff picks, and keep the good cheer beer flowing.

LGB!

-CrossCheckRaise