So much hype surrounded the Kings after they acquired Mike Richards from Philadelphia, and Jonathan Quick had already established himself as one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL.
Then, the regular season started, and after the calendar turned from October to November, L.A. seemed to forget how to score goals. It eventually cost Terry Murray his job when the Kings were still playing .500 hockey.
After a coaching change and a few transactions, the Kings hit their stride during the second half of the season, and Quick remained stellar throughout.
The Kings recorded at least one point in 14 of their last 18 games, and although they blew leads in consecutive games against San Jose, Quick was the catalyst for the Kings all season long.
Los Angeles finished the regular season next to last in goals scored and still nearly won the Pacific Division. Quick led the league with 10 shutouts and a goals against average of 1.96.
Not to mention the fact that the Kings lost six games, 1-0.
Now, the time has come for L.A. to help out their star goalie. In hockey, you are only as good as your goaltender and in this case, Quick was no exception to the rule. After nearly single-handedly leading the Kings to the postseason, Quick will look to shine on the stage he hasn't exactly set on fire: the playoffs.
A date with the Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks awaits, a first-round rematch of two years ago, when the Canucks ousted the Kings in six games.
As history has shown, the teams that succeed in the playoffs are those that finished the regular season on a hot streak, not necessarily those that were high in the standings. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, Vancouver had both.
The Canucks finished the regular season with a league-leading 111 points and won eig...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
