Quick Kings’ Only Star Against Dallas
- Updated: February 23, 2018
(Featured Photo: Mark J. Terrill, AP)
Really this recap should just be titled “Whyyyyyyyyy Kings why?” With the standings as tight as they are, the Kings can nary afford a loss, particularly against a team they’re potentially battling it out against for a wild-card spot. And had you only watched the first period two points would have been an easy call. They had the first power play. They had the second one too. Their one penalty kill was stellar. They had all the possession, all the momentum, and almost all of the shots. Dallas had one 13 seconds in, a second at 6:09 and that was it in the first. While the game was fluid the puck was slightly chippy but seemed to always end up in the Kings favor. They won all of the puck battles, a lot of the board battles, and despite not getting one past Lehtonen, a very solid first period. Dion Phaneuf seems to be fitting into the team well, having scored 3 goals in 4 games on the road, stopped many decent plays and tonight ready to throw the gloves if necessary to protect a teammate or keep the energy going. (He didn’t, but he was clearly ‘chatty’ with some of the Stars after the whistle blew, and the refs had to intervene. It was about the only thing they intervened on, but whatever.)
(Mark J. Terrill / AP)
Of course not scoring while they were dominant would come back to bite them. You don’t want to relive the second period, trust me. Jonathan Quick was his Jedi self, making save of the game after save of the game. Which is when it started being concerning that he needed to. The Kings were being outshot 6-1 early into the second and had trouble getting anywhere near the puck. They lost the neutral zone; they barely made it into their offensive zone and when they did, it wasn’t anything special. (I should point out that Anze Kopitar was the obvious exception. Whenever he was on the ice, he dominated everything. He makes smart, spectacular plays.) They had far too many defensive zone turnovers and dear Lord win a face-off once in a while. By games end the Kings had lost 62.7% of them. They weren’t even winning the board battles, getting outhit 41 to 29. They surged for the McFlurry minute at the end of the second, but playing a solid minute left the other nineteen somewhat baffling.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Sadly the comeback Kings who dominate the third period didn’t come out for this game. In fact, it was shockingly similar to the second period, getting outshot 13-5 in both. So when Quick was finally beaten, it was obvious that one goal would be all the Stars needed. (Let’s be clear, nothing about this game was on Quick’s head. He received the third star of the game and played impeccably. How he didn’t go back into the locker room and scream to his teammates ‘I did everything I could you couldn’t help me out a little??’ I don’t know.) Even pulling Quick couldn’t get the Kings close enough to the Stars net, and an empty net goal from them with 1 minute remaining exactly was the nail in the coffin. It was obvious the game was over 11:33 into the third with the Stars goal. (Actually, it was over in the first 20 minutes when the Kings couldn’t capitalize on their best 20 minutes of hockey.) Hopefully, it didn’t end the Kings playoff hopes either.
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