The St. Louis Blues are nearing the brink of elimination after losing 4-2 to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night in Game 3. The defeat has St. Louis looking at a 3-0 deficit through the first three games of the series, meaning that the Blues' season will be over if it loses any of its next four games.
In a back-and-forth game that St. Louis never led, the Kings generally appeared to have the advantage most of the time. Trailing 3-1 entering the third period, the Blues managed to get a goal from Chris Stewart, his second of the game, less than five minutes in:
The Kings responded minutes later, though, expanding their lead back to two goals with Drew Doughty's first goal of the series:
It was another mistake in a shaky game from Blues goaltender Brian Elliott, who saved only 18 of the 22 shots that came his way.
Down 3-0, the Blues now await Game 4 in L.A. on Sunday. A win would send the teams back to St. Louis for Game 5, with Game 6 being in L.A. and Game 7 returning to St. Louis.
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.