St. Louis Blues-Los Angeles Kings preview - USA TODAY

By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY

Updated

Five keys to the series:

By Jeff Roberson, AP

Patrik Berglund (21) has provided size and offense for the Blues.

1. Blues have super-sized: The Blues have size up front, particularly at center where they boast David Backes, Patrik Berglund and Jason Arnott. No one in that group is under 6-3. The Blues can wear you down by forcing you to contend with their size. But the Kings are also good down the middle with Anze Kopitar and Mike Richards. Richards is a talented player who can also sting you with his tenacity.

2. Hitch in their plans: Since Ken Hitchcock took over as coach, the Blues have been transformed from a team with promise to a team with the potential to win the Stanley Cup. Are they boring? Not if you are a Blues fan. Don't call their system a "trap" unless you want to argue with Hitchcock.

3. Leave the light on: With the way Berglund and Andy McDonald are playing, the Blues have more offensive charge than they showed in the regular season. They combined for 15 points in five games. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has been the trigger man. If Backes should get hot, the Blues should have more scoring chances in this series.

4. Snake in the grass: Don't be fooled by the Kings' No. 8 seeding. They have been better than their results all season long. Under coach Darryl Sutter, they are playing with more grit. Their issue has been scoring, but they have improved in that department over the last few weeks of the season.

5. Quick strike capability: The Blues have had quality goaltending all season with Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott, but Jonathan Quick might have been the NHL's best goalie this season. He had 10 shutouts, and he lost six games by a 1-0 verdict. For the Kings to win this series, Quick will have to be a force of one.

Forecast: Meet me in St. Louis for the third round of the playoffs. Take the Blues in six games.

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