The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

(AP) - Just like the first round, the St. Louis Blues dropped the series opener at home.

Unlike the first round, they have serious injury issues heading into Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Kings.

Top defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was not at practice on Sunday, the morning after getting checked face-first into the boards by Dwight King in St. Louis' 3-1 loss.

Though coach Ken Hitchcock did not rule out Pietrangelo for Monday night, he's decided on Ian Cole as a potential replacement.

Cole, a first-round pick in 2007, played 26 games in the regular season and would make his playoff debut.

The eighth-seeded Kings have won four in a row on the road in the playoffs, taking out the Presidents' Trophy-winning Canucks in five games in the first round. Now they have a chance to take command against the second-seeded Blues.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)