Reflecting back on Saturday’s game in L.A., I expected to see a lot of solid hits, strong skating and a lot of intense pressure, especially at the crease.  The St. Louis Blues did not disappoint; however, many factors played a part in the shut out game that led the Kings to their first win in this round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The St. Louis Blues Goaltender, Brian Elliott, was a big star the game on Saturday, by facing 21 shots and only allowing one goal.  However, that was not enough for the Blues to dethrone the Kings, as they shut out St. Louis with a score of 1 to 0.

May 2, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Brian Elliott (1) makes a save in game two of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at the Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

A few questionable calls from the officials put a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, but the Blues continued to apply pressure to the Kings’ goalie, Jonathan Quick.  Quick was quite impressive throughout the game and blocked all efforts by the Blues.

A good deal of turnovers occurred throughout each period as well, which the team needs to prevent in game 4 if they wish to continue their lead in this series against the L.A. Kings.

You may have noticed that the Blues’ Left Wing, David Perron, faced a lot of hostility and resistance when visiting Quick at the crease.  While he incurred two penalties in the first and third period, he managed to keep his cool for the majority of the game and showed that he has the discipline to keep his head in the game.

Blues’ Captain and Forward, David Backes, continued to show that he is a force to be reckoned with on Saturday, as he showed no fear when receiving or making hits on the ice. Somehow he managed to steer clear of the officials and prevented any unnecessary penalties in the game.

Which players will step up to the plate to play the offense needed to place pressure on Quick and allow the Blues to score?  Can we work defensively to contain the puck in our section of the ice and prevent any pucks from crawling into Elliott’s domain?  Will we see more of the fourth line in tonight’s game?  Will Coach Hitchcock choose to make any line changes?  Who will be play in tonight’s game or be scratched?  Can we apply and accept a sufficient amount of pressure with our opponents to keep our heads in check and play the kind of game that is required for us to obtain a win and move on to game 5 at 8PM CT at Scottrade?

Whatever choices are made this evening by the coaching staff or the players, we anticipate a lively game with plenty of action and passion as each team try to execute a stellar game plan so they can move on to the next level of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

You can catch tonight’s game on NBCSN, FSMW, FSW and 1120 AM.  Let’s Go Blues!

Feb 20 2013; Denver, CO, USA; St. Louis Blues center Andy McDonald (10) passes the puck during the first period of the game against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Blues were able to push the puck to the crease on several occasions but only broke down the goal barrier one time only during each period. Captain and Center, David Backes grabbed his sixth goal for the season during the first period, with assists from Assistant Captain and Defenseman, Alex Pietrangelo and Defenseman, Jay Bouwmeester. During the second period, Left Wing, Jaden Schwartz slipped a goal past Colorado Goaltender, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, with an assist by Blues Captain, David Backes. In the final period, Defenseman, Kevin Shattenkirk’s goal was assisted by Center, Patrik Berglund and rookie Right Wing, Vladimir Tarasenko.

Blues Goaltender, Brian Elliott, started the game but could not keep Colorado from procuring four goals out of their fifteen shots during his time on the ice (37:23).  Coach, Ken Hitchcock chose to bring in Goaltender, Jake Allen, to bring a fresh perspective to the game. Allen stopped 10 of 11 shots during his 22:37 on the ice.

Colorado Avalanche were much more successful by collecting two goals each in the first and second periods, and ending with one single goal in the final period.  Colorado led the Blues from start to finish and the final score was 5 to 3.

The Blues were attempting to possess a win on Sunday so they could attain a guaranteed position in this season’s Playoffs, as well as a home ice advantage.  While the Blues travel home to rest and rethink their overall strategy for the home game on Tuesday, April 23rd, we hope that they can pick themselves up and brush off the loss from this weekend.  If they can formulate and devise a strategic game plan that will allow them to emulate the fierce tactics that and commanding talent that we have seen at the beginning of this shortened season, as well as earlier this month, then we may have a shot at winning the game tomorrow and the final two games of the season against the Calgary Flames and our long-time rival, the Chicago Blackhawks. Let’s Go Blues! Let’s go out there and do our best by making it in the Playoffs and bringing home our very first Stanley Cup!