Kings keep pace without goalie Quick

When Los Angeles Kings superstar goalie Jonathan Quick was injured in their 50th anniversary season opener against the Sharks in San Jose on last October, all hope seemed to be lost. 

But the Kings, resilient as they usually are under head coach Darryl Sutter, have managed to keep the ship afloat.  Ranked No. 7 in the NHL Western Conference with a record of 17-3-3, the Kings never say die.

The Los Angeles Kings are still battling for playoff contention despite the loss of Jonathan Quick. Photo by Astrud Reed/News4usonline.com

Quick suffered a groin injury while stretching to make a save and, at the time, his status was described as week-to-week, but he is still on the shelf and not expected to return until mid-February or March 2017, according to GM Dean Lombardi. 

Quick decided to not undergo surgery and instead elected rehab. Backup goalie Jeff Zatkoff also suffered a groin injury during a practice session on October 22, so the Kings called up veteran goaltender Peter Budaj from their AHL affiliate in Ontario. 

Budaj, now the starting goalie, has a record of 15-8-3.

The Los Angeles Kings fell to the Detroit Red Wings recently at Staples Center. Photo by Astrud Reed/News4usonline.com

“He’s given us a chance to win and that’s what you’re looking for,” Sutter said of Budaj.  “We’re not asking him to be Jonathan Quick.  Our first three games (Zatkoff in goal), for lack of a better word, we had awful goaltending.  Our goaltending since has been good enough to give us a chance to win.  The first three games it didn’t.”

Quick was stellar in goal during the Kings two Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014 and won the Conn Smythe trophy as the MVP of the 2012 playoffs. 

Quick is also a two-time U.S. Olympian and played at the World Cup of Hockey in September.

 “Jonathan is obviously a special player,” Sutter said.  “You just don’t replace that.  It’s not different than only other star player.  You just don’t replace or expect somebody to play the same way and do the same things.  We also know we’re quite capable at that position.”

Despite the loss of Jonathan Quick last October, the Los Angeles Kings are still in position to make the NHL playoffs. Photo by Astrud Reed/News4usonline.com

“I’ve got a very strict timetable here,” Quick said.  “There aren’t really any shortcuts with this recovery.”  He has been very impeccable and cautious about his rehab process.  “It’s very light, very light resistance (exercises), just because it’s still trying to heal and you don’t want to reaggravate it.  It’s coming along.  Slowly, but it’s coming along.”

The Kings’ backup goalies have been exceptionally good during the Sutter years due to his focus on defensive play.

Hopefully the defensive play stays strong and the Kings continue to keep the ship afloat until Quick returns.


Discover more from News4usonline

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from News4usonline

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading