{"id":22679,"date":"2017-02-21T05:41:15","date_gmt":"2017-02-21T05:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=22679"},"modified":"2017-02-21T05:41:44","modified_gmt":"2017-02-21T05:41:44","slug":"jonathan-quick-returning-kings-ready-playoff-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/jonathan-quick-returning-kings-ready-playoff-push.html","title":{"rendered":"With Jonathan Quick Returning, Kings Are Ready for Playoff Push"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWith Jonathan Quick Returning, Kings Are Ready for Playoff Push<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span>
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\n\tWith Jonathan Quick Returning, Kings Are Ready for Playoff Push:-<\/strong> 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.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tSidelined with a groin injury sustained in the Kings’ season-opening loss to the San Jose Sharks, Quick, 31, began working out with his teammates on Feb. 2. With the Kings keeping pace in the West’s cluttered wild-card chase and Quick potentially returning to action in March, he could be rejoining the lineup at the perfect time.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t“Just trying to do what I can to get back out there,” said Quick, an All-Star last season who was also a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, the award for the league’s top goaltender. “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.”<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tQuick 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 2007-8, he has been a workhorse; no goaltender appeared in more games from the 2009-10 season to the 2015-16 season. And last year, Quick ranked first in the league with 68 games played, second with 40 wins and fifth with 1,671 saves.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tGiven Quick’s body of work, dealing with a long-term injury for the first time in his professional career proved particularly challenging.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t“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.”<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Kings have remained in the thick of the playoff chase in part because of the play of Peter Budaj. Once a starting goaltender with the Colorado Avalanche who was relegated to backup duty with the Montreal Canadiens a few years ago, Budaj spent much of the previous two seasons in the minor leagues.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIn Quick’s absence, Budaj assumed starting responsibilities, and he has accumulated 26 wins, five short of the personal season high he posted a decade ago in Colorado. He is tied for the league lead with seven shutouts and is second among goaltenders with 51 games played.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tHis comeback may be the most surprising career renaissance of the season.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t“I was hoping that if I have a good year, maybe I have a shot at coming back to the N.H.L.,” 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 mind-set. Just stay in the moment. Don’t think about what’s going to happen and just focus on the next shot.”<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBut that unexpected comeback could soon be ending. With Quick slowly working his way back, Budaj has come to terms with his tenuous place as the Kings’ starter.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t“This is Quick’s team; it has been his team,” Budaj said. “I’m very thankful to be here to carry the load as much as I can while he comes back.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t“I’m very thankful for the opportunity here to play and try to help the Los Angeles Kings get to the playoffs. There is no frustration at all. This is his team. I know that. I always knew that.”<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 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’s work. Budaj is a serene figure whose approach in the net relies more on traditional technique.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBudaj’s teammates have praised his work in the face of unusual circumstances. But they are also looking forward to having Quick back in time for the final push toward the postseason.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t“He’s not very calm,” defenseman Jake Muzzin said. “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.”<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Kings — who lost to Anaheim, 1-0, on Sunday — are 2 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.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t“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.”<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tFor all of Sutter’s stoicism, his team could be a few weeks away from a major roster addition in Quick.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t“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.”<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tSource:- https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/02\/19\/sports\/hockey\/los-angeles-kings-quick-budaj.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fsports&action=click&contentCollection=sports&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=sectionfront&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&mtrref=www.nytimes.com&mtrref=www.nytimes.com<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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