Thanks to COVID-19, the LA Kings are going to have some new division rivals for this season. Let’s get to know the St. Louis Blues a bit better.
The LA Kings and St. Louis Blues actually had a pretty good rivalry going not too long ago.
Both were consistent contenders in the Western Conference and met in the playoffs in back-to-back years in 2012 and 2013. Though the Blues had home-ice advantage for each series, the Kings ended up winning both of them. The first match-up was a second-round sweep en route to LA’s first Stanley Cup championship.
The rivalry has cooled in recent years as the Kings have gone into a rebuild. The Blues, however, have remained a force in the West and won their first Cup in 2019.
These two teams will have plenty of chances to renew hostilities in the coming months, though, as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the NHL into a drastic divisional realignment for this season. The Kings will say goodbye to their Pacific Division rivals north of the border in the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks. Instead, they will welcome the Blues, Colorado Avalanche, and Minnesota Wild into what the NHL is calling the West Division.
Since LA Kings fans will be seeing plenty of the Blues this season, here are three players on St. Louis you should be keeping an eye on.