Vladimir Tarasenko is one of the Blues’ most talked about prospects in years. Drafted 16th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Tarasenko is a powder keg of a player. Nicknamed “Tank,” Tarasenko was vital in getting the Russians the gold medal in 2010’s World Junior Championships, scoring four goals and seven assists. He’s clubs also scored 52 goals and 48 assists over 176 games in the KHL.

There was some worry that Tarasenko might elect to stay with the KHL, considering how much they pay their players to stay at home in Russia, but Tarasenko agreed this morning in principle to sign a three-year entry level contract. Under the CBA, unsigned players are not allowed to sign entry-level deals between June 1st and June 30th, so the deal has to wait until July 1st to be official.

He was basically promised a slot on the team out of camp, which more than likely swayed Tarasenko into coming to the NHL. It also probably helped that he was inexplicably left off of the Russian national team at the 2012 World Championships. He missed a chance for gold, and there’s a possibility he missed it because of his leaning toward coming to North America to play.

Blowing off a lucrative KHL contract in favor of an entry-level NHL deal is a good sign for the seriousness that Tarasenko is approaching the game with., and it’s a very good sign for the Blues as well.

Sad news for Blues fans who enjoyed seeing a former fan favorite behind the bench. Blues alum Scott Mellanby announced today his intention to not return as assistant coach next season.

“I would like to thank the Blues organization for giving me the opportunity to coach in the National Hockey League,” said Mellanby. “After two years of coaching I realize my passion is in the hockey operations department, which I would like to pursue. I have enjoyed my time here as a player and as a coach and wish nothing but the best for the Blues and their fans.”

It seems doubtful that he’ll return to work with any capacity for the Blues and their new owner, Tom Stillman. Best of luck to Mellanby in his future endeavors.

Not sure what prompted this, but the Blues' twitter account sent out this tweet today:

Hall-of-Famer Al MacInnis presented Cardinals' legend Stan Musial with a personalized Blues jersey earlier today. yfrog.com/odinrrrj

— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) May 17, 2012

Stan Musial is a treasure to the city of St. Louis and to the Cardinals -- heck, to MLB in general. Who knew he was a hockey fan too? Photo after the break.

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Well, this should be disconcerting to a fanbase who has seen multiple beloved players leave St. Louis and win Cups elsewhere: Ted Kuflan of the Detroit News is speculating that the Red Wings might want to sign Barret Jackman if they can’t get Ryan Suter.

I know there’s a small but loud group of Blues fans who hate Jackman, but I like to imagine the rational ones would cringe at seeing him in a winged wheel instead of a blue note next season. Presumably, Jackman won’t entertain the thought of leaving St. Louis, unless Doug Armstrong tells him to do so:

“St. Louis is my home and no matter what happens, I’m a Blue through and through,” Jackman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I’ve had the best 10 years of my life in St. Louis and I hope to have another 15. This is my No. 1 choice, (but) it’s all (the decision of Blues general manager Doug Armstrong).”

After an outstanding Jennings Trophy winning season, there's little else that Brian Elliott can do to endear himself to fans of the game (I'll pretend that round two of the playoffs didn't happen). Elliott has appeared in Patrick and Brian Burke's You Can Play Project's newest video with Jordan Eberle. The You Can Play Project is raising awareness for LGBT athletes and their acceptance in the locker room and on the ice. As their slogan goes, "If you can play, you can play."

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In case you missed the press conference that the St. Louis Blues held today to introduce their new owner, Tom Stillman, the team has a brief synopsis on their website. For now, the most important thing that people are worried about is who exactly makes up the ownership group. It’s far more than just Stillman. It’s a who’s who of St. Louis business owners, all of whom have a vested interest in the city and this team.

From blues.nhl.com:

•Thomas H. Stillman – Chairman & CEO, Summit Distributing
•Jerald L. Kent – Chairman & CEO, Suddenlink Communications, CEO, Cequel III
•Donn S. Lux – Chairman & CEO, Luxco
•James A. Cooper – Managing Partner, Thompson Street Capital Partners
•Jo Ann Taylor Kindle – President, Enterprise Holdings Foundation
•W. Stephen Maritz – Chairman & CEO, Maritz Inc.
•Edward M. Potter – Private investor
•Mr. & Mrs. Andrew C. Taylor – Mr. Taylor is Chairman & CEO of Enterprise Holdings, Inc.
•David L. Steward – Chairman, World Wide Technology, Inc.
•James P. Kavanaugh – CEO, World Wide Technology, Inc.
•John C. Danforth – Partner, Bryan Cave LLP, Former U.S. Senator, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
•Christopher B. Danforth – Owner & CMO, Kennelwood Pet Resorts
•James L. Johnson – Senior Vice President, Stifel Nicolaus & Co.
•Scott B. McCuaig – Former President, Stifel Nicolaus & Co.
•John S. Ross, Jr. – President, Summit Development Group
•Thomas F. Schlafly – Partner, Thompson Coburn, Founder, The Saint Louis Brewery

Here's the full video of the press conference:

The St. Louis Blues will be holding an official press conference at 11:00 AM to introduce Tom Stillman and the other members of the ownership group that just purchased the Blues, Peoria Rivermen, part ownership of the Peabody Opera House, and the Scottrade Center lease. According to the press release, Gary Bettman will be in attendance, which might mark the first time in heaven knows how long he’s set foot in St. Louis.

Just when we thought we were in the clear.

The press conference will be aired on FoxSports Midwest as well as KMOX 1120. Presumably it will also be streamed live on the Blues site too.

Blues captain David Backes is excited for the new ownership. In a statement to the Post-Dispatch’s Jeremy Rutherford, Backes had this to say:

“A guy that’s passionate, from the St. Louis area … he’s around the rink as much as the players are, he’s on road trips … what more could you want?”

Indeed.

It’s finally official — the Blues have a new ownership group made up of Tom Stillman and four other local investors. All of them are St. Lousians, which should add to the “caring” that’s going on. Hometown owners owning a hometown team? That’s a fan’s pipe dream come true.

The League announced today that the Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the sale to Stillman’s group. The sale price was expected to be between $120-$130 million, and includes the Peoria Rivermen, a part of the Peabody Opera House, and the Scottrade Center lease.

A press conference is scheduled for tomorrow to introduce the new owners to the press and to the fans. Heads up — it might involve Commish Gary Bettman. Plan accordingly.

In a bit of an early leak for what is supposed to be today’s big announcement, a report has surfaced that the Board of Governors has approved the sale of the St. Louis Blues to Tom Stillman and his group. Jeremy Rutherford tweeted the news last night ahead of the official announcement that’s expected for later on today.

Also, the official press conference regarding the sale will be scheduled for Thursday, May 10th. Hopefully Brett Hull will be on hand for some entertainment. Seeing as how it’s a media event, he probably will be.

According to Forbes.com, the Blues’ sale to Tom Stillman might be one of the hockey steals of the decade. For the Blues, the Peoria Rivermen, the lease to the Scottrade Center and part ownership of the Peabody Opera House, Stillman and his group will only be paying the low, low price of $120 million. That’s slightly down from the previously thought number of $130 million, and significantly less than the $190 million expected for the package last September.

Honestly, as the sale has gone on, the asking price has gotten lower and lower. Maybe Stillman’s early low-ball offers were on to something. Regardless of the purchase price, Blues fans are looking forward to a new era of ownership who is looking to build on this season’s success.

As the Blues were playing some of their least-inspired hockey of the season against the Los Angeles Kings, many fans wondered the exact same4 thing: “God, I wonder how many of those guys are playing through injury?” People expected the news to trickle out after the playoffs, but the team talked to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about it and that’s a no go.

Other than an obvious injury to Alex Pietrangelo and whispers of an ear infection for Brian Elliott, minimal information has come out about the team’s bumps and bruises. Is it the team doctors that’re keeping it quiet? Coaching? No — it’s the captain David Backes and the rest of the team. From the Post-Dispatch:

“I hate that because it’s almost like, ‘Well, if we didn’t have injuries, we would have been a lot better,’” Backes said. “Well, if there’s injuries all year, you’ve got to find ways to play through it and find ways to overcome it. Those are the little hurdles that you overcome individually and you suck up some pain for the better of the team.”

Backes went as far as saying, “If a list of injuries comes out, I’m not going to be very happy because I just think whatever it is, we play through it. Or else you take yourself out of the lineup and let someone that is capable and willing and they’ll fight through it.”

That’s a very valid point. Much like you can’t necessarily blame an official for a loss, you can’t blame injuries either. You have to rise above it and play through it. Or, as Backes said, let someone else fresh play because you’re not at 100%.

I’m sure tidbits of information will leak out here and there, but what does it matter now? Injuries weren’t the only reason that the Blues were swept.

We're all familiar with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's model of coping with grief, whether we know it or not. As a refresher:

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A year's postmortem will be coming later, but today, let's just start small, which is appropriate because this four game series has been the smallest so far in the Stanley Cup playoffs. A matchup that many predicted would go six or seven games was taken in just four, and there're reasons for that. St. Louis Game Time pretty much nails it here:

Great goaltending. Stifling defense. Total commitment from all four forward lines and all three defensive pairings. Timely goalscoring. A few lucky bounces.

That has been the story of how the St. Louis Blues put together such a great season.

It's also the story of how they were beaten handily by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round of the playoffs.

The Blues were out-Bluesed. Plain and simple, Los Angeles took the Blues' game and just simply played it better. The interesting thing is, the Blues helped them do this. How? By not playing their own game at all. A four game sweep would be easier to take if the games were closer, and if the series was harder fought. Instead, the Blues played their brand of hockey for two and a half periods out of the 12 played in this series. For those of you new to the sport, that will win you precisely... well, squat. The Blues didn't try, and that is why they were swept. It'll come out in the next few days, I'm sure, that guys were playing injured and not at 100%. Frankly, I wouldn't be shocked to hear Brian Elliott had an injury considering how he played this round. Whatever the reason, though, this was social loafing in action. "Someone else'll pick up the slack." Well. unfortunately, it wasn't anyone on the Blues.

This was a wonderful season with a lot of positives to take away from it. It just ended on a sour note. For the Blues, there's plenty to build on and hope for the future. The team looks to be back to their constant playoff contender form of the 90s and early 2000s, and that's a good thing. For now, though, you do have to call it like it is, and what this series was was a lack of effort. The Blues picked a terrible time to lose four games in a row.

For more on the Kings, head to Jewels From The Crown and SB Nation Los Angeles. For more on the Blues, visit St. Louis Game Time and SB Nation St. Louis. For complete coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, stick with SB Nation's NHL hub.

It's win or go home time for the St. Louis Blues today. Despite dominating the San Jose Sharks in round one, the Blues haven't been themselves in round two -- or perhaps in the Kings they just found a team that's better at being the Blues than the Blues are. LA's been out-defending the Blues by a huge margin, and it shows in the game scores. After Thursday night's 4-2 loss in which Chris Stewart of all people scored the only two goals, the Blues have found themselves in a hole that very few teams have managed to get out of.

The last time a team rebounded from being down 3-0 in a series was in 2010, when the Philadelphia Flyers stunned the Boston Bruins to win four games in a row and the series. Have the Blues won four games in a row this season? Multiple times. Were they playing better hockey then than they are now? Absolutely. It's going to be tough to win when minimal effort is being shown on the ice.

This has been a tough series to watch, and it'll be a tough game to watch today if the Blues don't get in gear. Coach Ken Hitchcock is hoping some lineup changes could work. You almost have to move pieces around to drive home the message. If they haven't figured out that they absolutely need to win tonight, the Blues deserve to lose. Here's hoping that they give the fans what they deserve -- a chance to see the team at least one more time on ice in the Scottrade Center.

Today's game will air at 2:00 Central Time on NBC.

The Blues have not had the second round that they wanted. Outscored, outmanned, and simply outplayed, they're now in a two game hole to the Los Angeles Kings. The worst part is that they lost those two games at the Scottrade Center, and now get to travel to Los Angeles to bounce back. It's a tough hole to climb out from, especially when you're rattled.

The Kings have lost one out of the two playoff games played at home this post-season, a mere speedbump on their way to eliminating the Vancouver Canucks in five games. If the Blues don't want to be a speedbump, they need to focus and actually play with effort, which is the opposite of how they have played the last two games.

Captain David Backes seems happy to be on the road, away from distractions. The Blues were an average 19-16-6 away from home, but after those first two games, the only way to go is up. Says Captain America:

''It's good to get away from home and all the people that told us how good we were all year,'' Backes said. ''We've had a little trouble dealing with success, with all the talk about Presidents' trophies and Jennings trophies ... and now we're stumbling on our toes.'..

''We've had times in the season where we've all bought in, and we've had times when we're half in, half out,'' said Backes, who had two assists in the Blues' 5-3 loss in Game 2. ''That's where we are right now. ... Enough is enough, and we've got to determine as a group if we're going to attack this thing, or if we're going to tuck tail and run.''

Blunt and to the point, Backes is basically tired of what is going on, and the fans can't blame him. You can be as good as gold, but when you start believing you are, that's when you have problems.

Tonight's game starts at 10:00 on the NBC Sports Network.

In welcome news, the Blues’ ownership question mark is about to be resolved. David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail is reporting that prospective owner Tom Stillman has his paperwork in order and ducks in a row, and is just waiting for the right time to make a purchase announcement. if the Blues keep playing like they are now, it could be as soon as next week.

I digress.

Stillman has been actively perusing ownership of the Blues (along with the Peoria Rivermen, Peabody Opera House, and the lease on the Scottrade Center) since early January, when Matthew Hulsizer’s deal to purchase the team fell through. Shoalts mentions that this is perfect timing for the sale, considering that the financial situation under current owner Dave Checketts necessitates the NHL to pay the team’s bills, probably, as Shoalts speculates, via advances on the team’s share of league revenues.

NHL Deputy Commissioner promptly denied all of this, which is apparently his job considering how much he denied that the Atlanta Thrashers were going to be sold to True North Sports and Entertainment. If Daly denies it, it’s probably true.

Well, this is unexpected. After speculation that Alex Pietrangelo was suffering from a concussion after being hit into the boards by Dwight King Saturday night, Blues’ coach Ken Hitchcock is calling him a game time decision with a possible lower body injury instead. How can we tell if he’s playing tonight? As Hitch says, watch the warmups.

“Right now he’s an injured player, but if he’s in the warmup before the game, he’s a player (tonight),” Hitchcock said after today’s morning skate. “Right now we’re deciding. He feels good so far, so we’ll see him make it through the rest of the day, but we’re not going to put him in the warmup unless we’re going to play him. If he’s out there for the pregame skate tonight, he’s definitely going to be a player.”

The Jack Adams Award annually goes to who the NHL Broadcasters' Association feels was the coach of the regular season in 2011-2012. The three nominees are all worthy ones -- frankly, there could have been more -- and the Blues' Ken Hitchcock seems the favorite to go home with it. Hitch took a team that was 6-7-0 and brought them just a few points away from the Presidents' Trophy. He fixed the special teams, and motivated the Blues into thinking that settling for a lower playoff seed just isn't good enough.

From NHL.com:

Hitchcock made his debut behind the St. Louis bench Nov. 8 with the club at 6-7-0 and posted a 43-15-11 record the rest of the way; the109-point season was the Blues' best since capturing the Presidents' Trophy in 1999-2000. The club broke or tied 13 franchise records, including a 21-game home points streak and 30 home wins overall. The Blues allowed the NHL's fewest goals against by a wide margin (165), the fewest shots per game (26.7) and posted the most shutouts (15). Hitchcock earned his fourth career nomination as a Jack Adams finalist and the first in 13 years; he finished second in 1997 and third in 1998 and 1999, all with Dallas.

Best of luck to Hitch. I admit, I was concerned when the Blues fired Davis Payne and hired Hitchcock, just based on past reputation. I'm more than willing to eat my words.

Game one did not go the way that the Blues intended. After failing to capitalize on a strong first period, the team shut down for the second and third, not playing with effort necessary to get a puck past Jonathan Quick. The power play, so potent against the San Jose Sharks, was rendered useless -- and it got worse when a shot got past Brian Elliott while the Kings were killing Dwight King's boarding penalty.

The Blues' task tonight is to play a full 60 minutes, not to let up, and to score. Get the power play going, keep the Kings off of the man advantage, and play smart consistent hockey. Unfortunately, that's going to be done without Alex Pietrangelo. As you might remember, this happened Saturday night, knocking Petro out of the game and possibly the next few:

No hearing was called, but according to Jeremy Rutherford, the Blues' top defenseman is currently day-to-day with concussion-like symptoms. If Pietrangelo can't play, then Ian Cole will be paired with Carlo Colaiacovo. Cole hasn't played for the Blues' past 13 games, but he's solid. Unfortunately, the playoffs is a different playing field than the regular season. If even Kevin Shattenkirk can make turnovers due to jitters, Cole's possibly prone to a few as well. Kent Huskins also could dress, if the Blues elect to go with seven defensemen and eleven forwards.

Tonight's game begins at 8:00, and will be broadcast on CNBC.

If you look up "weak sauce" in the Urban Dictionary (please don't - this is entirely rhetorical) then there might be a photograph of of Kay Whitmore, and then an excerpt of his official explanation of the penalty on the Kings' Dwight King after his hit on Alex Pietrangelo. From Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Question: What did the officials see on Dwight King’s hit and what went into the decision to give King a 2-minute minor?

Whitmore: "Their judgement of the degree of violence (went into the decision) … they deemed it a minor penalty and that’s why they called it a minor. It’s their judgement. They see the whole play unfold and they didn’t deem in this instance obviously that King drove (Pietrangelo) into the boards. It was a hit, he was in a vulnerable position, but they didn’t deem it violent enough to call a major."

Question: As far as the aftermath, Pietrangelo being cut, did that warrant a 5-minute major?

Whitmore: "In these situations, if a player is cut to the face, and it’s visible right away, instantly, they’ll call a major … in most cases. In this case, they didn’t see the cut, the small cut, under his chin from what I’ve been told until up to a minute or so after when they were over by the bench. So it was a delay, a period of time that went by, and it’s tough for them to go over and say, ‘It’s a major now’ … because they didn’t see it after the scrum. He got off the ice. There was no visible blood. If it was running down his forehead or his cheek, it’s automatic. It’s a major game-misconduct. In this instance, they didn’t see it initially right away. They didn’t see the blood running down his chin, in his beard … one of those things."

As a refresher for you, here's the hit:

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Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on the official NHL explanation for the two minute minor boarding penalty given to Dwight King after the hit on Alex Pietrangelo. Firstly, here’s the hit:

Secondly, here’s the quote from Kay Whitmore, supervisor of officiating for this series:

Question: What did the officials see on Dwight King’s hit and what went into the decision to give King a 2-minute minor?

Whitmore: “Their judgement of the degree of violence (went into the decision) … they deemed it a minor penalty and that’s why they called it a minor. It’s their judgement. They see the whole play unfold and they didn’t deem in this instance obviously that King drove (Pietrangelo) into the boards. It was a hit, he was in a vulnerable position, but they didn’t deem it violent enough to call a major.”

Question: As far as the aftermath, Pietrangelo being cut, did that warrant a 5-minute major?

Whitmore: “In these situations, if a player is cut to the face, and it’s visible right away, instantly, they’ll call a major … in most cases. In this case, they didn’t see the cut, the small cut, under his chin from what I’ve been told until up to a minute or so after when they were over by the bench. So it was a delay, a period of time that went by, and it’s tough for them to go over and say, ‘It’s a major now’ … because they didn’t see it after the scrum. He got off the ice. There was no visible blood. If it was running down his forehead or his cheek, it’s automatic. It’s a major game-misconduct. In this instance, they didn’t see it initially right away. They didn’t see the blood running down his chin, in his beard … one of those things.”

Not much time had passed between the initial call and the refs noticing the blood running down Pietrangelo’s throat. It wasn’t on his chin by that point — it was completely running straight down his throat. It was obvious, and the refs had time to amend the clock to reflect a greater penalty. Play had not started yet, giving the refs ample time to adjust the call.

Also, if they didn’t believe that King drove Pietrangelo into the boards, they weren’t watching the play — just like they weren’t watching when Colin Frasier received a high stick that drew blood from T.J. Oshie (the linesmen had to inform the refs of the hit), and just like when ref Stephen Walkmon didn’t notice Raffi Torres’ hit on Marian Hossa in the previous round.

This explanation won’t do anything to stop Blues’ fans from being upset about this hit; it’s empty, and those are words of someone who wasn’t aware of the hit to begin with and is just relying on what the refs did to explain away what the refs did. Those kind of circles of thought don’t work well.

The sloppy and inconsistent play of the second period continued throughout the third period, as the Blues were unable to equalize game one against the Los Angeles Kings. If the second period was just sloppy play and some apathy, then the third period was penalty ridiculousness. Four minutes of a penalty kill is bad enough, but adding two more right afterwards? That is not a recipe for success.

The penalty that began the steamroll of PKs was this high stick on Dustin Brown. Both refs missed it and had to be informed by a linesman of the hit. Alex Pietrangelo never returned to the game from his hit by Dwight King, who only got two minutes for boarding, and then the refs miss this high stick. Questionable refereeing usually doesn't get rewarded by being moved up a round, does it? Turns out that the ref that's missing all the calls is Stephen Walkmon, he of the Torres on Hossa hit fame.

Promptly after killing all four minutes of a LA powerplay, Kevin Shattenkirk got in trouble by clearing the puck over the glass and out of play.

The icing on the game was an empty net goal by Dustin Penner that was just a clear that took a good bounce off of the boards -- Brian Elliott, like Jonathan Quick at the other end of the ice, was outstanding, but as predicted the scoring came down to flukey bounces and special teams breakdowns... just not the special teams people expected.

The Blues dropped round one's opener to the San Jose Sharks as well, so there's not much to get worried about -- except that game was lost in double OT and the Blues played a full 100 minutes. This whole "the first period'll suffice!" thing just won't do for the rest of this series.

The two goaltenders continued their duel as the teams checked and hit around them, but it took a boarding hit against the Kings to give the road team momentum. Oddly enough, a hit from behind on Alex Pietrangelo by Dwight King gave the Kings a bit of a spark -- or maybe the Blues were discomobulated due to the fact that they were expecting the call to be four minutes or possibly a major. Whatever the excuse, there's no reason that Dustin Brown should be allowed a short handed breakaway and no way that Matt Greene should be in the right place to shove Brown's rebound between Brian Elliott's skate and the post.

The second period was the opposite of the first for the Blues. The momentum and control from the first period did not follow the team to the second period -- they were hazy at best, spending too much time in the Kings' zone. But hey, at least there were hits like this one on Brad Richardson by Chris Stewart:

Unfortunately, that doesn't do much when your power play has been neutered by the Kings' penalty kill for the 16th time this season.

Shots on goal are a close 21-20 in the Blues' favor. More pressure in the third could either get this game to overtime, or the way that Quick has been playing could still get the Blues back to the locker room with a 2-1 opening loss.

So far, the game is what has been expected. If the words "goaltending duel" were mentioned once, well, they were mentioned a billion times across the hockey-sphere. It could very easily be 3-1 St. Louis if not for Jonathan Quick making some saves that bailed the Kings out multiple times. The Blues had 13 shots on goal, and Quick made twelve outstanding saves. Only one goal snuck by Quick: this re-directed tip from David Perron off of an Alex Pietrangelo slapshot:

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Note well David Backes' positioning screening Quick -- the only way that Quick could have seen that shot would be if he had X-ray specs.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that the ice seemed tilted that period towards the Kings' goaltender, a snafu on Barret Jackman's part allowed the puck to get onto Slava Voynov's stick. Watching the puck is great, but watching the player is better -- and that's exactly what didn't happen here as Voynov was left wide open.

The Kings' 11 shots on goal didn't seem to be quite as high-quality as the Blues' 13 on Quick, as the pressure and the control was all St. Louis. Keeping that up all game would be helpful, as sooner or later Quick has to crack... right?

After a decidedly long layoff, the Blues are back and ready to go tonight. A week of rest can only do good for the aching bones of the veterans and the wonky ankle of Jaroslav Halak, who will still not play to start this series. As it stands, it's unfortunate to have Halak injured, but the Blues are set with the regular season GAA and save percentage leader in net: Brian Elliott. Elliott is 3-0 in these playoffs, sharing a game two shutout against the San Jose Sharks with Halak. He, along with a defense led by Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Barret Jackman, allowed the fewest goals in the NHL last season.

The Kings, a shockingly similar team to the Blues, also rely on their goalie to win games. Jonathan Quick lost six games last year by the score of 1-0, which is both a testament to his amazing Vezina nominated skill and his team's occasional scoring issues. Tonight's game, like the others played between these two teams, shouldn't be high-scoring affairs. The only regular season game that was -- a 5-0 drubbing by the Kings -- was before Ken Hitchcock's tenure as coach of the Blues.

Don't expect amazing goals necessarily, but do expect some highlight-reel saves. Hopefully the Blues can start round two off with a bang and keep the momentum going. After all, they're now the Cup favorites, according to some.

Puck drop is at 6:30 Central on the NBC Sports Network.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit Blues blog St. Louis Game Time and Kings blog Jewels From The Crown. For additional coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, visit SB Nation’s NHL news hub.

Well, this is unexpected. The whole first round was unexpected, frankly, with the two teams (the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks) most picked to win the Cup were bounced in the first round. Factor in the fact that the defending Cup champion Boston Bruins were also bounced, and the oddness of the standings going into the semifinals led to people questioning who the favorite is now.

Look no further -- it's your St. Louis Blues.

According to Kukla's Korner, the Blues are now leading the group with 15/4 odds. Not exactly 100% sure fire bet, but if you would have told Blues fans back in October that their team would be favorites to win the Stanley Cup, they would have been incredulous at best.

Why are the Blues top choice? They've got the best defense in hockey, outstanding goaltending, and a nearly flawless record against the Eastern Conference (14-2-2) that is the best among their Western Conference compatriots.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit Blues blog St. Louis Game Time and Kings blog Jewels From The Crown. For additional coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, visit SB Nation’s NHL news hub.

Finally, what we've all been waiting for - the schedule for round two of the Western Conference playoffs. The East is still dithering around, but the Blues know who they're facing and now when they'll be facing them. Here's the first round schedule against the Los Angeles Kings:

• Game 1: Saturday, April 28th in St. Louis
• Game 2: Monday, April 30th in St. Louis
• Game 3: Thursday, May 3rd in Los Angeles
• Game 4: Sunday, May 6th in Los Angeles
• Game 5 (if necessary): TBD
• Game 6 (if necessary): TBD
• Game 7 (if necessary): TBD

All times so far will are TBD, as is TV broadcast for the games.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit Blues blog St. Louis Game Time and Kings blog Jewels From The Crown. For additional coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, visit SB Nation’s NHL news hub.

Three very worthy candidates are up for this year’s GM of the year: the Blues’ Doug Armstrong, Florida’s Dale Tallon, and Nashville’s David Poile. Poile is responsible for consistently “doing something with nothing” in Nashville according to a good many hockey pundits, even though it doesn’t take much to notice that the Preds haven’t had nothing for a while. They got out of the second round of the playoffs last year, went on and added Hall Gill, Paul Gaustad, and Andrei Kostitsyn — not to mention he brought Alex Radulov back from the KHL to add playoff scoring punch.

Dale Tallon rebuilt the Florida Panthers in the image of the Chicago Blackhawks, circa 2009. It was effective in Chicago, so no shock that it’s been successful for the gang in South Beach. Watching the Panthers win the Southeast Division was a treat this year, but how much of what Tallon did was effort, and how much of it was a repeat of what he did in Chicago? Frankly, ask a Panthers fan how much they care right now.

Blues’ GM Doug Armstrong’s work has taken him longer than an off-season. His tenure with the Blues began in 2008 as director of player personnel, and he assumed GM duties when Larry Pleau retired. Armstrong is responsible for the Jaroslav Halak for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz trade that flabbergasted everyone in 2010. He also found diamond in the rough goalie Brian Elliott, cementing the Blues’ Jennings Trophy winning pair. His patience with the youth of the team, coupled with the addition of Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner for grit and experience, helped turn the Blues into the patient and smart team that’s heading into the second round of the playoffs.

Add in his hiring of Ken Hitchcock, and you have a legitimate contender of a team. Doug Armstrong’s flown under the radar as a solid GM for long enough; this year is his time to shine.