The largely unheralded Slava Voynov has now notched two game-winning goals in the series. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

By Allan Muir

This was the one that got away.

Not that the St. Louis Blues really deserved to win Game 5 Wednesday night. If anything, the Los Angeles Kings played better in a contest in which they never trailed while the Blues struggled–again–to cash in on enough of their premium scoring chances to get the job done. But by coming back from a goal down not once but twice — including a last-minute game-saver by Alex Pietrangelo that sent it to overtime — it just felt like maybe this was the one that was destined to fall the way of a team that always seems to come up short this time of year.

And then Slava Voynov, who already had one game-winner in the series, ended those hopes with a wicked wrister in OT, giving the Kings a 3-2 win and a 3-2 series lead.

The Blues once led the Kings 2-0 in this series, but failed to put the champs on their backs by losing a pair of very winnable games in Los Angeles. Now, after letting this one get away from them, they face the daunting task of winning at the Staples Center, where they’ve lost seven straight, just to force a Game 7.

Read More…

If Anze Kopitar builds on Monday’s goal and raises his game, the Kings might recover. (Chris Williams/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

It wasn’t long into Game 4 before the Los Angeles Kings felt the boots of the St. Louis Blues pressing down hard on their throats. After allowing two goals in the first five minutes, the defending champs faced the likelihood of a 3-1 series deficit and a return to the road, where they have lost eight straight.

But it turned out that adversity suited them. With nearly a full game to play, they found another gear and took the game to a level that the Blues couldn’t match. And for the first time in the series, L.A.’s offense finally got on track, powering two comebacks in a thrilling 4-3 win that sends the series back to St. Louis knotted at two games apiece.

Here are some quick observations from the series-tying win for the Kings:

Read More…

Goalie Jonathan Quick made a key mistake in the Kings’ Game 2 loss to the Blues. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

At a glance, the play of Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick over the first two games of this series against the St. Louis Blues has lived up to the legacy of his Conn Smythe run.

After a 40-save performance Tuesday night’s opener, he was at it again in Game 2. He made sliding saves, kick saves, glove saves and flopped around, Hasek-style, doing everything he could to keep the Kings in it.

But for the second game in a row, it was Quick who let his mates down at the worst possible moment. And now the Kings find themselves in a 2-0 hole after a crushing 2-1 loss in Game 2.

Read More…