Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

A Series Of Matchups In The Western Conference Finals

05/15/2016 at 3:07pm EDT

The Western Conference finals series between the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks -- which gets under way with Game 1 on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in St. Louis -- features a collision of some pretty talented players. Which matchups will be the most compelling? Pierre LeBrun and Craig Custance picked their favorites.

Alexander Steen, C, Blues vs. Joe Thornton, C, Sharks

Most interesting to me will be how Steen is deployed. My guess is he'll see lots of Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl -- San Jose's top line. And the matchup with Thornton and Pavelski won't just be 5-on-5. Steen is one of the Blues' pre-eminent penalty killers and he'll be among those charged with trying to slow down the Sharks' lethal power play, spearheaded by that duo.

In particular, look for how Steen tries to read Thornton as he directs traffic on the power play from the side boards. Pavelski loves to get his one-timer off from the slot on the power play as well. I can't wait to see how Steen plays into all that. Steen has taken on all comers so far in two series, including Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round and Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars in the second round. Steen is letting the world know this spring what the Blues have known for a long time: He's got the kind of two-way game that should garner him a Selke Trophy one day. -- Pierre LeBrun

conitnue for more at ESPN

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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