The Los Angeles Kings silenced many naysayers on Sunday night, as they eliminated the No. 1 seed and President's Trophy winners the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. They'll have a lot more work still ahead of them if they hope to make it to the Stanley Cup finals, but they'll have a better chance in the second round than many might think.
The Kings will next go up against the No. 2 seed St. Louis Blues, who were the odds-on favorites to win the Western Conference when the playoffs began. The Blues eliminated the San Jose Sharks, four games to one, to advance.
During the 2011-12 regular season, the Kings and Blues faced one another four times. The Kings were 3-1 in those games and shut out the Blues twice. What's more, they outscored St. Louis 9-3 in those games. Here is how the games went.
October 18: Kings 5, Blues 0. You can find the game recap here.
November 22: Kings 3. Blues 2. You can find the game recap here.
February 3: Blues 1, Kings 0. You can find the game recap here.
March 22: Kings 1, Blues 0 (Shootout).
The time and date of the first game in the Blues-Kings series is yet to be announced, but the Kings will be playing the first two games of the series on the road. That may not be the advantage the Blues would like to think it is, however ... the Kings have won fave straight road playoff games, dating back to last year.
For more on the Kings and their playoff journey, check out the SB Nation Los Angeles StoryStream. To discuss the club with other fans, head over to Jewels For The Crown.
