The Kings are down two games to none to the St. Louis Blues and Quick is facing heavy criticism for the game-winning goals he allowed.
Goaltenders are usually given a little too much credit when a team is successful. And when a team struggles, they often unfairly receive the bulk of the blame.
That is precisely what’s occurring here.
Are there a couple of goals that Quick should have stopped? Sure, and he’d be the first to tell you just as much. In fact, Quick took responsibility for his mistakes, according to R.B. Fallstrom (via the National Post).
"I've got to stop that. I've got to stop that. It’s my fault. Two games in a row. I've got to be better."
Quick can be better. He proved that last year when he dominated throughout the playoffs, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy. That said, when you’re down 0-2 in a series and your goaltender has a save percentage of .940 and a GAA of 1.82, you've got bigger problems.
For the Kings, the most significant problem is offense, or lack thereof.
The Kings were 29th in the NHL in scoring last season before making huge improvements in the playoffs. This year they ranked 10th, but there offense has dried up early in the postseason.
The Kings only scored one goal in each of their first two games, both of which were on the power play. They've had problems getting pucks to the net, recording just 19 shots in regulation in Game 1. In Game 2, they managed to put 29 pucks on net. However, with the game tied at one in the third, the Kings were unable to generate good chances.
Yes, the Blues are a strong defensive team with talented goaltend...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
