Marcel Dionne on Jonathan Quick and NHL goaltending

Jonathan Quick in retro gear (photo: Ikiri)

Fresh back from a five-day trip to Russia, Marcel Dionne arrived in LA last week to participate in the LA Kings Fantasy Camp. The night before he joined several other members of the Kings Alumni and this year's campers, I met with Dionne for a one-on-one interview, where we covered a wide range of topics.

[note: His thoughts on Anze Kopitar were posted here]

On his trip to Moscow, Dionne spent time with another Hall of Famer, Phil Esposito. They were there to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Russia-Canada Summit Series - including an outdoor game on legendary Red Square, a contest that featured former NHL greats Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny.

Dionne's 735 goals alone were enough to give some goalies nightmares. But, add in the more than 1,500 scored by that trio of companions and you're talking about an unlimited highlight reel of how to pick up points in the NHL.  Yet, in this feature, we'll take a look at the other side of putting pucks in the net - the guys wearing pads and a mask and trying to stop those snipers.

We began with an obvious one, Jonathan Quick - is he the real deal?

Interview with Jonathan Quick's replacement in net

When the Kings returned to their practice facility on Monday after nearly a week long break there was a stranger sitting in Jonathan Quick's stall. Perhaps even more confusing to some, he was putting on goalie equipment.

Salvatore Tecci had been at the rink since noon, hours before practice was set to start. As the players slowly trickled in, each pretty much did the same thing. "They would walk past me, then turn and do a double take," he said. "Many had a look of 'Who is this kid?'"

Eventually, they came over and welcomed him. "But, they would introduce themselves by their first names, which didn't really help because I didn't know who they were," he shared.  "Having lived in Boston for seven years, if I would have practiced with the Bruins, I probably would have known everyone on the team."

Tecci primarily grew up in Henderson, NV and his only exposure to pro hockey was the Las Vegas Thunder of the old IHL.

"When I first stared playing, there were only two ice rinks within 100 miles," said the 20-year old netminder. "I started skating when I was five, and eventually only became a goalie because one day somebody didn't show up. So, I said 'Yeah, I'll play goalie, they play the whole game.' I was always the youngest kid on the team, so they wouldn't give me a lot of playing time before."

In between filling in for one of his teammates back then and subbing for Quick while he was at the All-Star festivities, Tecci also attended the famed Thayer Prep School in Massachusetts - where a young Jeremy Roenick met Tony Amonte and skated on the same line together. As a freshman Tecci led the state in wins.

NHL scouts and college coaches paid him plenty of attention over the next few years. Yet, it all came to an abrupt end his senior year when he developed an eye infection that put him out of action for several months.

VIDEO: Behind the scenes with Jon Quick at ASG Media Day

Was it really this bad when the All-Star Game was held in Los Angeles back in 2002? Is it because the event was held in 'hockey crazed' Canada? Or has the whole thing just turned into a nutty media thing, ala the Super Bowl? Watch as Kings goalie Jonathan Quick attempts to answer some - interesting? - questions...

Thanks to Kings Vision for supplying the video content.

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Flames at Kings pregame tidbits - plus ticket contest

A few pregame notes on tonight's Kings-Flames match-up at The Stapler...

- LA has beaten Calgary three straight games at home, all by the final score of 2-1.

- Curtis Glencross, the Flames leading goal scorer (with 18) was sent back to Calgary after suffering a lower body injury in San Jose on Tuesday.

- The Flames are expected to have four former Kings in the line-up tonight (and it could have been five if Raitis Ivanans wasn't sent back to the minors a few weeks ago). Their projected line combos are:

Mike Cammalleri - Mikael Backlund - Jarome Iginla
Blake Comeau - Olli Jokinen - Tim Jackman
Tom Kostopolous - Blair Jones - Lee Stempniak
Lance Bouma - Roman Horak - Matt Stajan

Note: The Flames played with a extra defenseman vs the Sharks. If they do that again tonight, Horak will likely be scratched in favor of Anton Babchuk.

- Miikka Kiprusoff will start for the Flames and the Kings will counter with Jonathan Quick in net.  Kipper is 17-8-3 lifetime vs. LA, with a 2.17 goals-against average.  However, at Staples Center he's only 6-5-2.  Quick is 5-3-0 vs the Flames overall, with a stellar 1.84 GAA.

- Coach Darryl Sutter is not expected to make any line-up changes tonight, so expect to see the following line combos:

Dustin Brown - Anze Kopitar - Justin Williams
Dustin Penner - Mike Richards - Jarret Stoll
Brad Richardson - Andrei Loktionov - Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford - Colin Fraser - Trent Hunter

Finally, we'll be giving away a free pair of tickets in tonight's MayorsManor First Goal contest. It's easy to play, simply leave a comment below with the LA player you think will score first vs. the Flames...or reply to the facebook / twitter updates that will come out around 6:30pm. All correct answers will be pooled together and one random winner will get a pair of tickets to see the Kings and Avalanche on Saturday night. Good luck!

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Kings prospect Jeff Zatkoff makes life on the edge work

Just when you think you know the answer to the Kings goaltending depth, leave it to Jeff Zatkoff to change the question.

Originally selected by the team in the third round of the 2006 NHL Draft, it was starting to seem like he was slipping a bit in the organization's overall rankings. Obviously, Jonathan's Quick and Bernier have solidified their place with the big club. However, even last year - when he was thought to be the starting goalie as the season started - he saw undrafted rookie Martin Jones steal his job and make it to the AHL All Star Game.

Yet, things are back on track for the 24-year old Michigan native. In the last 48 hours alone, he's been named the AHL Goalie of the Month and to this year's AHL All Star Game.

Although he's sitting on a 10-4-1 record at the moment, the season didn't start out so well. Sure, he went to Europe with the Kings, but upon returning home he was a little rusty.

"The biggest thing for me personally was getting into game action," said Zaktoff "I played, basically, one period during the pre-season. Then, I came in and played that first game vs. Springfield [AHL]. It was kind of like an exhibition game for me, in terms of finding my game. So, my first real game wasn't where it needed to be and I had some things to work on still. As I played more games I got more and more comfortable, especially with the things I was able to work on over the summer. It's all starting to come together form me."

That's a bit of understatement. His 2.04 goals-against average, .935 save percentage and 6-0-1 mark at home say things are going pretty well.

Murray concerned about Bernier, but he 'sucked it up'

Jonathan Bernier has played twice as many games against the Nashville Predators as he has versus any other NHL team - including starting all four games between the Kings and Predators last season, posting a 3-1-0 record with a 2.25 goals-against average.

This season, Bernier was off to another slow start, losing the only two games coach Terry Murray had put him in for. But, not anymore.

Bernier picked up his first win of the season last night, giving up three goals - including a power play goal - yet, holding on for a 4-3 victory.

After the game, Murray evaluated his performance...

"I was a little concerned at the start of the game, we had a two-nothing lead and the next thing you know it's (tied) two-two. I would have liked to seen something (from him) on that second shot, the second goal that the scored, on the short side [note: that was the power play goal from Craig Smith]. But, I looked at it again on the replay and it was a heck of a shot. So, I really think he sucked it up after that and he made some big stops as they started to give it a push."

Bernier stopped 27 of the 30 shots he faced and lowered his season total to 3.37 goals against. He'll most likely be back to the sidelines for the next few games - with his probable next start coming in about a week when the Kings play a home-and-home series, on back-to-back nights, versus the Anaheim Ducks.

If you missed Dustin Penner's post-game comments, click here now to read thoughts from the big left wing following his best game as a King.

Also, quotes from the Predators locker room - including thoughts from Smith, coach Barry Trotz and more - can be found here.

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Bernier's mask rated tops in NHL, but he's changing soon?

Former NHL goaltender Kevin Weekes, now an analyst on just about every station that covers hockey, selected his top five goalie masks of the season yesterday.

Low and behold, coming in at number one was the Kings' Jonathan Bernier.

The mask was painted by DaveArt and there are multiple shots of the mask, similar to the one at the left, posted here.

Weekes associated the lion on top of the mask with royalty (which is true), yet Bernier also has a lion tattoo on his left arm - and it was always on his mask in Manchester as well.

Earlier today, I asked Bernier why he wears his old mask during practice and only breaks out the new black, silver and white one for games.

"I've been doing that because I wear plastic protection on my practice mask," said Bernier. "I just don't really like to wear that in games though. So, that's why I have two helmets. People notice it because (my practice mask) is purple from last year. But, instead of making another one just for practice, I figured I'd wear that one."

Audio: LA Kings coach Terry Murray after 5-3 win in Dallas

Following tonight's 5-3 win in Dallas, LA Kings coach Terry Murray spoke with the gathered media.

Among the topics discussed were Slava Voynov's future, the goal by Scott Parse, letting the Stars back into the game in the third period and more.



Eight goals total - seven of them given up by the top two goalies in the Western Conference entering play tonight. So much for Brett Hull's pre-game prediction of it being a 'low scoring' affair.

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RELATED ARTICLES:

Kings at Stars - what to watch for, the Penner edition

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What I've learned so far this season... by Alec Martinez

Dustin Penner's special relationship with the Dallas Stars

Win a 4-pack of tickets to see Saturday's LA Kings Alumni and Ontario Reign games

LA Kings at Dallas Stars - what to watch for, Penner edition

In a pre-game story that reads much like Tuesday's script vs. New Jersey, much of the focus for the Kings will be on goaltending and Dustin Penner.

LA comes into the game with a 5-2-1 record and is looking to bounce back from an embarrassing 3-0 loss at home on Tuesday, where coach Terry Murray put the blame on poor puck management, resulting in bad turnovers.

Here are a few things to watch for as the Kings open a three-game road trip tonight vs. the Dallas Stars...

- Goaltending: After giving back-up Andrew Raycroft a chance in net vs the Kings on Saturday, the Stars will return to regular starter Kari Lehtonen tonight. He comes in with a 7-0 record this season, on the back of .955 save percentage and 1.54 goals-against average. The Kings will counter with Jonathan Quick, who has shutout his last three opponents and has a lifetime record of 11-3-0 vs the Stars, including wins in his last five against them.

- Dustin Penner: On November 23, 2005, Penner made his NHL debut for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in Texas, against the Dallas Stars. He had five shots, zero points and two penalty minutes that night. He could really use a better performance tonight. Due to his recent play, and the Kings inability to generate much offense over the last three games, Penner will drop down a line tonight, playing with Jarret Stoll and Brad Richardson on the third unit.

- Scott Parse: He had only played in one game this season after a disastrous training camp, where he was routinely the focus of negative attention. Murray wasn't sure what to make of Parse's 'it's all between my ears' feeling a few weeks ago. It will be interesting to see if Murray has a short rope with him tonight on the second line with Mike Richards and Dustin Brown.

Terry Murray's quotes on Bernier from post-game presser

Following tonight's 3-0 loss to the Devils, Kings coach Terry Murray said the following in his post-game presser...

(Overall game recap): “Tonight is about turnovers. All three goals that New Jersey scored ended up being plays that we had possession of the puck and we just don’t execute and then they come right back at us and they’re scoring. The bottom line again is that your best players on New Jersey – take a look at the scoresheet -- they’re the guys that determine the outcome of the game. We need to do better. Our best players need to be better players in order to win games in this league. We’re just not on top of them.”

(Play of Jonathan Bernier): “Bernier was fine. Bernier I thought made some big stops. We gave up some quality chances in the first period. He played well. This was not about the goaltending. This is all about managing the puck and turnovers and giveaways that ended up being very easy goals against."

(On Bernier's confidence after another loss): "As a young goaltender, you're always on top of and watching closely how his mechanics are and how aggressive he is in his play. Over the course of time, he's always shown me the ability to deal with what's going on."

(On any possible regrets about staring Bernier) "You can dissect this whole thing any way you want."

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RELATED ARTICLES:

Coach Murray explains why he went with Bernier over Quick

Coach Murray and Slava Voynov compare notes

Coach Murray helps close the loop on Brad Richardson
 

New Jersey Devils at LA Kings - what to watch for

LA comes into the game with a 5-1-1 record, including wins in four straight and both of their games at Staples Center this season.

New Jersey is 3-2-1, splitting the two games they've played on the road.

Here are some things to watch for tonight...

- Goaltending: The Devils lost future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur when these two teams met up a few weeks ago. Johan Hedberg will fill in for New Jersey. He has a 2.24 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in five games played. The Kings will counter will Jonathan Bernier, making just his second start of the season. Terry Murray explained why he's resting Jonathan Quick in an article here.

- Dustin Penner: Contract year. Those two words alone should equal plenty of points. So far, they don't. In five games played - well, four and some change, considering he sat out of most of the game in Philly after a first period fight - he has one lonely assist to show for his efforts. All of LA's other top-six forwards have at least one goal and four points.

- Ilya Kovalchuk: Until he retires, he'll probably be the one player to never wear a Kings jersey who will forever be linked to the Kings franchise. GM Dean Lombardi's pursuit of the Russian sniper didn't end well last summer and it left a bad taste in the mouth of many people. Ultimately, it may have worked out better for LA. However, he's not expected to get a warm welcome by the home crowd tonight. Kovalchuk was also credited with the game winner when the Kings and Devils met in third game of the season.

Game time is 7:30pm PST.

As usual, we will be running our first goal contest tonight too. If you'd like a chance at winning a free t-shirt from Glass Bangers, simply reply below with the name of the Kings player you think will score the first goal for LA tonight.

Entering is easy, you can even use your facebook profile.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Jonathan Bernier on coach Murray's goaltending plans for the LA Kings

Terry Murray explains his reasons for going with Bernier vs. the Devils

Where has the shot mentality been in the third period?  - Murray tries to explain

POLL:  Did Murray make the right call by resting Quick vs. New Jersey

Summertime chat with Jonathan Bernier - what he's been up to

POLL: Did coach Murray make the right call on Bernier?

The lively debate continues among LA Kings fans - who should start in goal?

Coming into this season, coach Terry Murray said he would ride the 'hot hand,' rather than follow a penciled in schedule. Which is part of the reason today's announcement caught some people off guard, Jonathan Bernier will be in goal Tuesday night vs. the Devils.

With four games scheduled this week, including back-to-back games on Saturday (at Phoenix) and Sunday (at Colorado), how would you have set up the goaltending rotation?

Would Jonathan Quick, coming off three straight shutouts, get the call again tomorrow night? Would Bernier play against Phoenix on Thursday?  Or possibly over the weekend?

Pretend you were the head coach for a minute and select your answer from the options below.



Poll closes Tuesday at 6pm PST.

If you missed Murray's explanation for going with Beriner tomorrow night against New Jersey, click here to read today's post-practice article.

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POLL: Quick or Bernier vs. New Jersey and Philadelphia?

The impending goaltending battle in Los Angeles has been well documented.

It's supposedly been imminent for over a year now.

However, last season could be best summed up like this...

Jonathan Bernier entered the year with high hopes, came out of the gates slow, admitted that he didn't feel comfortable in the crease until after Christmas and then played lights out hockey when given the chance in the second half, including going 4-0-1 in March with two shutouts. The Kings also picked up a point in Bernier's final nine starts of the regular season. He didn't see the ice for a single minute in the playoffs.

On the other hand, Jonathan Quick won at least 35 games for the second straight season, while posting a 2.24 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.

During training camp, coach Terry Murray said he'll be going with the hot hand this year - rather than following a penciled-in schedule, like he did most of last season.

For the Kings opening weekend, Murray went with Quick in game one (where the Kings downed the Rangers in overtime 3-2) and Bernier got the nod vs. Buffalo on Saturday (a 4-2 loss for LA).

Taking all of the above into account, plus the fact the Kings could possibly still be jet lagged from the trip to Europe (Quick even tweeted as much yesterday), what should Murray do with the next two games?

The Kings are scheduled to play the Devils in New Jersey on Thursday night and then take on the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday.



Poll closes Wednesday at 6pm PST.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Terry Murray on Jonathan - Quick vs. Bernier

Clearing the Crease... with Jonathan Bernier

LA Kings summer vacation - a chat with Jonathan Bernier

Sneak Peek - a look at goalie JF Berube's new mask design

If you're a loyal reader of MayorsManor, you know all about the man known as 'Hollywood.'

JF Berube was drafted by the Kings in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft. Since then, he's gone on to become one of the top goalies in the QMJHL.

Here are some details on his new mask.

As shown in the pictures below, the left side features LAX airport, the top of the mask has the Manchester Monarchs logo (with a slight modification, as the artist used the Kings crown on top of it) and the right side displays a lion above the Hollywood sign.

The mask is done in black, silver and white as those will be the Kings primary colors this season. He went with an overall jungle theme to honor Manchester's 'Welcome to the jungle' slogan.

We'll have some more pics later. For now, here's a teaser...

To read the most recent article on Berube, featuring comments from Kings goaltending coach Bill Ranford, where we jokingly discuss the possibility of him needing a new nickname this season - click here.

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Who's that goalie? - new favorite game of Kings' Rich Clune

Jones and Zatkoff (photo: S. Slingsby)

Some guys like to kick the soccer ball around before a game. Others like to rock out to their ipod. Some like it loud, some like it quiet. Hockey players have are all sorts of pre-game rituals.

For Kings prospect Rich Clune, apparently checking the line-up isn't one of them.

Maybe it's not a big deal though. Like the Kings one-two punch in goal last season, with Jonathan's Quick and Bernier, Clune's Manchester Monarchs featured their own dynamic duo in Jeff Zatkoff and rookie Martin Jones.

Despite their stellar numbers between the pipes, it's not a position Clune has much interest in learning more about.

"Goalie is the toughest position in hockey to play," said Clune. "I can't even begin to walk a day in their shoes because I've never done it. It's a lot of pressure."

As for the play of one over the other, Clune started out with - "Jonesy could potentially be a starting goaltender in the NHL." He then quickly retorted with, "Zats is a little bit older and it might take him a little bit more time to develop and it's also about finding the right place and the right fit. He could also play in the NHL someday."

And then back the other way, "Jonesy is going to be a starter in the NHL one day, for sure. With goaltenders you can't really put a year on it though. Look how long it took Jon Bernier to get to where he is. And everyone knows how good he is."

DevCamp 2011: Pre-camp comments from JF Berube

Hollywood is headed to Los Angeles.

Goaltender JF Berube - nicknamed Hollywood - finished his junior season as one of the top goaltenders in the Quebec league (QMJHL). After playing in 50 regular season games he had a 2.60 goals-against-average (fourth best in the league), a .902 save percentage (sixth best), 32 wins (second best) and three shutouts (tied for third most).

His Montreal Junior team swept thier first round opponent, the Halifx Moosseheads. But lost their second series to the Lewiston Maineiacs 4-2 (including an overtime and a double-overtime game). He finished the post-season with six wins in 10 games played, a 2.79 goals-against-average and a 0.901 save percentage. His two shutouts tied for the league lead.

Originally selected by the Kings in the fourth round of the 2009 draft, Berube has been a guest on MayorsManor numerous times and he's back today to offer up some pre-camp comments...

MM: First off, any comments on fellow Quebec league goalie Christopher Gibson - the Kings just drafted him in the second round last weekend.

JFB: I didn't play him a lot. But, I know he's a very good goalie. He's square to the puck and has good feet.

MM: You recently signed your entry level contract. How good does it feel to have that behind you now?

JFB: I'm really happy that the Kings decided to put me under contract for the next three years. I really like the organisation and all the coaching staff, so it was really good news for me.

MM: Any thoughts on coming to camp?

LA Kings Draft Update: Round two - goalie Chris Gibson

In a little bit of a surprise move - or what some might call a Dean Lombardi draft day special - the Kings selected a goaltender with their first pick (#49 overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft.

LA traded away their first round selection in the Dustin Penner deal earlier this year. So, the team didn't hit the podium until the second round, where they announced 'We proudly select Finnish goaltender Christopher Gibson.'

He played last season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he led all goalies with a .920 save-percentage and was second overall with a 2.42 goals-against average. He was named a First Team All-Star.

Gibson lists Mikka Kiprusoff as his favortie athlete - a netminder Lombardi is very familiar with from his days in San Jose.

The Kings also know about goalies coming out of the QMJHL, having recently taken Jonathan Bernier and JF Berube from the junior circuit.

To see what the Kings did in the third round click here.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with Kings 2010 first round pick Derek Forbort

Interview with Kings goaltending prospect JF Berube

Clearing the Crease with Jonathan Bernier

Jack and USA done, Bernier ready for Ovechkin tomorrow

Johnson and Jagr at IIHF quarterfinals
Photo by Matthew Manor / HHOF-IIHF

Out of the sixteen countries to play in the main pool at last year's IIHF World Championships the United States finished 13th - ahead of only France, Italy and Kazakhstan.

They'll finish five slots higher this year, but there isn't much to celebrate. After advancing to the elite-8, they were bounced in their first game by the defending champions from the Czech Republic.

In today's opening game of the quarterfinals Team USA lost 4-0. Al Montoya (New York Islanders) was announced as injured, so Ty Conklin (St. Louis Blues) was given the start in goal. Jack Johnson played over 20 minutes again, but the offense just couldn't get anything going.

The Kings defenseman also laid out Patrik Elias (New Jersey Devils) behind the net in the third period. Probably should have been a penalty, but there was no call.

Johnson finished the tournament with 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in seven games, picked up eight penalty minutes and was a minus-4. He also led all U.S. defenseman with 20 shots on goal.

Jaromir Jagr looked every bit the part of a player ready to return to the NHL, posting three goals on his first four shots in today's game. He's now tied for the lead on his team with five goals and eight points (matching the totals of Montreal's Tomas Plekanec).

The Czech's beat Russia for the gold last May and this year's brackets have things lining up for a possible rematch.  Russia has also played in the finals for three straight years, having won the gold medal in 2008 and 2009.

Germany and Sweden will play later today. The winner of that game will play the Czech Republic in one of Friday's semi-final games.

On the other side, the winner of tomorrow's two games - Canada/Russia and Finland/Norway - will meet up in the other semi-final game.

Both the gold and bronze medal games will be played on Sunday, airing live on VERSUS in the U.S.

But, back to that Canada-Russia game. Coach Ken Hitchcock has already announced he's sticking with Jonathan Bernier in goal, who is 2-0 in the tournament. One of the many story lines to watch in that game is if Bernier and the Canadian defense can shut down Alexander Ovechkin. In two games played, he's yet to register a point.



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Coach Terry Murray on Jonathan - Quick vs. Bernier

Jonathan Bernier.  How many times have Kings fans heard 'He's the goalie of the future'?

Yet, Jonathan Quick has owned the crease the last two seasons.

He should have been voted to the NHL All-Star Game this year, he wasn't. And he was one of the team's best players all year long.

Still, the questions keep coming. Before the playoffs started, coach Terry Murray was adamant though when speaking to the media - Quick will play every game.

He stuck to his guns too, even while his peer on the other bench - Todd McLellan - was swapping around his netminders like a game of three-card monte in attempts to change momentum.

Earlier today, I asked Murray if, in hindsight, he wishes he would have done the same...

Murray - "Absolutely not. Jonathan Quick played tremendous hockey. He gave us the opportunity to win. He did his job. You go back into it, you want to talk about 52 shots - well, hey, that's your job. Stop the puck. That's hard, cold - but, that's a fact. You have to have your goaltender win a game for you. I believe in him and the goals that ended up going into the net in any one of those games that we can go back over, he did his job. We need to be better in front of him."

Los Angeles Kings Players are Quick to Praise

While much has been made of the Kings power play success in the first playoff two games with San Jose - and rightfully so, considering the regular season numbers - the play of Jonathan Quick shouldn't (and hasn't) gone unnoticed.

After a variety of reasons were given for his poor play down the stretch last year, including fatigue, Quick has looked nothing short of incredible so far this post season. Outside of the first minute of game one, he's been as sharp as anybody could possibly hope for.

And his teammates have been quick to praise him...

Alexei Ponikarovsky - "He's come up big with huge saves at key times of the game. He's a great goalie. We're trying to block some shots for him, to make his life a little bit easier. But, he's playing great."

Rob Scuderi - "He's not surprising anyone in here (the locker room). He's been a great goaltender for us all season. We don't expect anything less. He's going to have to be our best player in the playoffs if we're going to have a chance to win some games and possibly win a round or two, and hopefully more. He has not disappointed."

Jarret Stoll - "He's just so steady and so calm. With his positional play he's just been in the right spot. You don't see him over committing. He doesn't have to work too hard in there it seems like. Obviously, he is working hard, but you don't notice him trying to do too much. He's just there. He's covering rebounds. He's battling for pucks that he can't see. He's making those big saves too when he has to."

Brad Richardson - "He was obviously great last game, with the shutout. But, in the first game he made some huge saves to keep that game close. He's our number one goalie for a reason. He's just played awesome. In my opinion, he's one of the top three goaltenders in the league. So, he's great to have back there. We have a lot of confidence in him."

Quick will be back in net again tonight for game three at Staples Center.



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photo courtesy of www.sharkspage.com