EL SEGUNDO, CALIF.—There were plenty of reasons for optimism when the Los Angeles Kings returned from their bye week last Wednesday in contention for a Western Conference playoff spot. But the most encouraging sign may have been the recent return to practice of their star goaltender, Jonathan Quick, whose 2016-17 season has been limited to a single period of play.
Sidelined with a groin injury suffered in the Kings’ season-opening loss to the San Jose Sharks, the 31-year-old Quick began working out with his teammates Feb. 2. With the Kings keeping pace in the West’s cluttered wild-card chase and Quick scheduled for a potential return to action in March, he could be returning to the lineup at the perfect time.
“Just trying to do what I can to get back out there,” Quick said. “We still have a few more things we want to make sure are in order before they give me the nod. Things seem to be going according to plan.”
An all-star and a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, Quick rose to prominence when he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs’ most valuable player during the Kings’ 2012 Stanley Cup run. Since entering the league in 2007-08, he has been a workhorse; no goaltender appeared in more games from the 2009-10 season to the 2015-16 season. And a year ago, Quick ranked first in the league with 68 games played, second with 40 wins and fifth with 1,671 saves.
Given that body of work, dealing with a long-term injury for the first time in his professional career proved particularly challenging.
“When you originally talk to the doctors, I think that first few days is kind of the worst,” Quick said. “We don’t really know how long it’s going to be or what the deal is. Watching the games, you want to play. But you want to see the team do well. Luckily, we have.”
The Kings have remained in the thick of the playoff chase in part because of the play of Peter Budaj. A starting goaltender with the Colorado Avalanche relegated to backup duty with the Montreal Canadiens a few years ago, Budaj spent much of the previous two seasons in the AHL.
In Quick’s absence, Budaj assumed starting goaltending responsibilities, and entering Sunday night’s game against Anaheim, he has accumulated 26 wins, five behind the season high he set a decade ago in Colorado. He is tied for the league lead with seven shutouts and is second among goaltenders with 50 games played.
His comeback may be the most surprising career renaissance of this NHL season.
“I was hoping that if I have a good year, maybe I have a shot at coming back to the NHL,” said Budaj, a 34-year-old from Slovakia. “Mostly I was just focusing on helping the team win games. That’s got to be the mindset. Just stay in the moment. Don’t think about what’s going to happen and just focus on the next shot.”
The transition from Quick, the franchise’s leader in wins, to Budaj has been an interesting one for the Kings. The two are a clear contrast in style and temperament. Quick is known for the occasional on-ice outburst and a goaltending style resembling a contortionist. Budaj is a serene figure whose approach in the net relies more on traditional technique.
Budaj’s teammates have praised his work all season in the face of unusual circumstances. They are also looking forward to having a key player back in time for the final push toward the post-season.
“He’s not very calm,” defenceman Jake Muzzin said of Quick. “But the calmness the team gets knowing we have him back there in the net, it goes a long way. I’m sure once he gets thrown in a game, whenever he gets in, we’ll feel it. He’s an intense guy, and he battles and he competes and we’re going to need that down the stretch.”
The Kings entered Sunday’s games two points out of the final Western Conference playoff spot. Given his team’s precarious position, coach Darryl Sutter had no interest in discussing a goaltending situation that will probably be in flux in the coming weeks.
“Defensively, our goal was to stay in the race after Quick got hurt,” Sutter said. “We’ve managed to do that. We give up the fewest shots in the league. I intend to continue that. Same path, stay the course. I’m not interested in talking about one player. The goalie is as good as the team in front of him, the team is only as good as the two goalies behind them.”
For all of Sutter’s stoicism, his team could be a few weeks away from a major roster addition.
“We’ve played some good hockey over the past few months and put ourselves in a position where we’re in the hunt to make the playoffs,” Quick said. “And everyone knows once you get there, anything can happen.”
The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
