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Before we begin, I think it's appropriate to hold a moment of silence for Ben Scrivens.
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Olympic back-up goaltender Jonathan Quick is back for the Kings (which is why Scrivens was shipped to Edmonton) and back in net tonight against the Blues, so unless St. Louis really comes out swinging I don't think that we'll see a Darryl Sutter snap goalie pull, unfortunately. What will we see tonight? Two teams that hate each other roughing folks up on a national broadcast.
Tonight's Competition
Wait... it's on NBCSN? I cringe to think of which broadcast crew St. Louis'll get. I'll go out on a limb and assume that Pierre'll be staying put in Pittsburgh trying to recover from covering Sidney Crosby last night. Regardless of who is between the benches, NBCSN is getting more and more complimentary toward the Blues and their style of play. Next step? Pronouncing players' names correctly.
A player whose name they will butcher is Vladimir Tarasenko. Chances are it will be during a goal call. Tarasenko has goals in three straight games against the Kings, and he is having a hell of a season this year.
In their last ten games, the Kings have been decidedly sub-par. Their record of 3-6-1 shows that. The Blues? 8-1-1. Momentum seems to be on St. Louis' side. LA hasn't been scoring much, scoring four goals just once this month, while the Blues have been plowing through opponents. St. Louis has scored at least five goals four times this month beginning with their 5-0 win over the Kings. The last two games they've only managed three goals, which is an odd offensive drought for the NHL's top scoring squad.
Jaroslav Halak'll be back in tonight, Vladimir Sobotka should be healed up, and Jordan Leopold will be in for Ian Cole. This certainly won't be an easy game for the Kings; the Blues have home ice and need to take advantage of it. Also, defending Jeff Carter would be nice.
