Tag Archives: jonathan quick

Sharks 2 Kings 1: San Jose climbs back to even series 2-2

Posted on May 21, 2013 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Joe Thornton set the tone for the San Jose Sharks with a dominant first period. After that, the Sharks did their best to hang on and tie up their playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings.

Thornton set up Brent Burns’ first-period goal and Logan Couture added a power-play goal early in the second to give the Sharks just enough offence to beat the Kings 2-1 Tuesday night to knot their series at two games.

"He’s our leader for a reason," Burns said of Thornton. "Everybody keeps saying it. He’s one of the hardest workers we have in here. It’s awesome to play with him when he’s playing like that. It’s a lot of fun."

The Sharks outshot the Kings 15-3 in the opening period before falling into a shell the second half of the game, managing just four shots in the final 36:05 after taking a 2-0 lead.

Antti Niemi made 13 of his 22 saves...

Canucks only need 13 shots and great goaltending to beat Kings 1-0

Posted on March 23, 2013 by admin in Sun Hockey | No comments

LOS ANGELES -- It's hockey, not figure skating, so the beat-up Vancouver Canucks don't really care about artistic impression these days.

The two points are all that matter and for the third straight game the Canucks got them. Vancouver got an early goal from Mason Raymond and shutout goaltending from Cory Schneider as they beat the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 in a Saturday afternoon matinee at the Staples Center.

This one probably won't be going into the time capsule for later viewing.

The Canucks didn't generate much offence as they managed only 13 shots on Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick. But they did a nice job of holding the Kings in check and when they didn't, Schneider was there to make the save.

The players weren't making any apologies for the chip-and-chase style of play.

"We are missing a lot of guys," said captain Henrik Sedin. "I think people have to realize where we are."

"You've got to do what you've got to do,"...

Canucks Hat Trick: Raymond draws attention; It’s Tom Terrific; A beef with Ballard

Posted on March 3, 2013 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

Three things to ponder following the Canucks’ 5-2 win over the Kings on Saturday at Rogers Arena:

1. CENTRE OF ATTENTION: Mason Raymond took a deft back pass off the sideboards from linemate Jannik Hansen at stride midway through the second period and then beat Jonathan Quick with a wrist shot to the glove from the high slot to provide a 2-1 lead. It gave the converted winger his sixth goal of the season and a chance to reflect on his rebound season, but had to then answer questions about what happened when he attempted to win faceoffs. It wasn’t pretty. On a night when the Canucks could have used Manny Malhotra (season-ending injury reserve) or Ryan Kesler (broken foot), they won just 38 per cent of their draws and Raymond went 1-for-9.

Of course, that’s like splitting hairs on what was a good individual and team performance. Raymond couldn’t even recall the last time he played centre. In working...

Kings set to join Canucks in hunt for veteran goalie after Bernier trade demand

Posted on July 12, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

When Bill Ranford was asked how he managed to get a first-round NHL draft pick in Jonathan Bernier to maintain his motivation and professionalism after third-round selection Jonathan Quick had secured the starting job for the Los Angeles Kings, the goaltender coach said all the right things.

That was during the opening round of the playoffs.

On Thursday, Bernier demanded to be traded after making a similar request before the trade deadline in February.

A crease move could create a situation where the Kings would need a veteran stopper to back up Quick and take another option away from the Vancouver Canucks in the thin unrestricted free-agent marketplace.

Bernier’s stance is clearly one of reality wrapped in frustration that his career has yet to take off — even though Ranford was always convinced he has plenty of game.

“Bernier is much different because the technical package was already in place and there’s more every day maintenance with Quick because he’s come such a...

A Kings’ ransom: LA signs Jonathan Quick to 10-year contract extension

Posted on June 28, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Jonathan Quick agreed to a 10-year contract extension on Thursday with the Los Angeles Kings, who locked up their playoff MVP goalie through the 2022-23 season.

Quick won the Conn Smythe Trophy while leading Los Angeles to its first Stanley Cup championship earlier this month, and the Kings rewarded him with an enormous new deal one year before he reached unrestricted free agency. He can't sign the contract until Sunday.

"We are very happy to have a long-term agreement in place with one of our top young players," Kings general manager Dean Lombardi said. "At this point, we would prefer to withhold further comment until on or around July 1."

Quick just finished a breakthrough season in which he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy while establishing himself as one of the world's best young goalies.

The 26-year-old Connecticut native was among the NHL leaders in most goaltending categories, making his first All-Star team while setting the...

Stanley Cup: Devils look to dethrone Kings and make history

Posted on June 11, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

Jonathan Quick was in a corner of the room, hemmed in, and he all but growled when he was asked a perfectly reasonable question. Is it natural that, after whipping through the West like a wildfire, the Los Angeles Kings are finally being tested? Is it natural that all of a sudden, this isn't easy any more?

"I felt we were tested pretty hard in the first, second and third round," said Quick, in the moments after the Kings had lost a second consecutive game to the New Jersey Devils, 2-1, after taking a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final. "Just because we were able to come out on top doesn't mean we weren't tested. You look at all of the games; three out of every four wins that we had in each series were one-goal games. So if you don't think we were tested in those series, you should be doing a different sport."

If you discount empty-net...

Stanley Cup Final: Kings look to Cup stranglehold over Devils in L.A. Monday night

Posted on June 4, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

After winning the first two games on the road, the Los Angeles Kings will try to take a stranglehold on the Stanley Cup Finals tonight, when they host the New Jersey Devils in Game 3 at the Staples Center. The Kings notched a pair of 2-1 overtime victories in New Jersey in the first two tilts of this best-of-seven series, marking the first time in 61 years that Games 1 and 2 of the Cup Finals were decided beyond regulation. Anze Kopitar recorded the OT winner on a breakaway in Game 1 and Jeff Carter ended Saturday’s second game with a superb individual effort. Carter scored with 6:18 remaining in overtime to help move the Kings closer to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship. Carter gathered the puck after circling around the New Jersey net, moved into the high slot and fired a low wrister past Martin Brodeur’s right shoulder and inside the left post. “It’s a huge [goal]....

Stanley Cup Final: Devils seek way to slay new Goliath

Posted on June 1, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

In the end it came down to Anze Kopitar's hands and stick, and his memory of a shootout goal from six years ago.

He went backhand then, and figured Martin Brodeur might remember that he went backhand, which in fact Brodeur did. And so when the Los Angeles Kings centre scissored the puck and carved the 40-year-old Brodeur like a filet, he ended it with a forehand. And that was the difference in Game 1.

But that probably won't have much effect on Game 2 Friday, or the rest of the Stanley Cup final, and not just because the Devils are unlikely to surrender another breakaway in overtime to one of the two most dangerous men in the building.

On the day after the Kings took a 1-0 series lead on the New Jersey Devils, the two teams agreed on a few things: Nobody played their best game, both teams experienced nerves, and the ice was about two hours shy of...

Stanley Cup Finals: Kings’ Kopitar scores in OT to snuff Devils 2-1

Posted on May 31, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

NEWARK, N.J. — Anze Kopitar scored 8:13 into overtime as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils 2-1 to open the Stanley Cup final on Wednesday night.

Justin Williams found Kopitar with a backhand pass from his own blueline and the Kings star raced in alone, deking Martin Brodeur before slipping it over him.

“Every time you get the chance to finish it off in OT ... to face a world-class goaltender like Marty is, it’s definitely a good feeling,” Kopitar said.

Los Angeles, the eighth seed in the West, is now 9-0 on the road in the playoffs.

The Kings are also 3-0 in overtime in these playoffs. The Devils are 4-2.

In a tight game without much offence from either side, New Jersey’s attack disappeared for long stretches before a soldout crowd of 17,625.

The Devils had five shots in the first period and just four in the second, but still managed to pull even at 1-1 late in the...

NHL Playoffs: Three-point night from Doughty puts Kings in position to sweep Blues

Posted on May 3, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

LOS ANGELES — Drew Doughty posted a goal and two assists to lead the Los Angeles Kings to a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 3 of this Western Conference semifinal series.

The Kings, seeded eighth, now hold a 3-0 lead in this best-of-seven series and can become the first team to advance to the conference finals when they host Game 4 on Sunday afternoon.

Vezina Trophy candidate Jonathan Quick stopped 18 shots while Mike Richards added a goal and an assist for Los Angeles, which has not played in a conference final since advancing to the Cup finals in 1993.

“A lot of guys in this locker room have elevated their game,” said Doughty. “It hasn’t been easy for this team. We’ve had a lot of adversity this season. But the guys have stuck together and we’re all playing really good at the right time.”

Chris Stewart scored both goals while Brian Elliott gave up all four goals...

Daniel and Henrik Sedin want more Canucks’ victories

Posted on April 25, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

A couple of things stood out on Tuesday as the Canucks cleared out their lockers.

One, that 4-3 win on Jan. 7 in Boston clearly came at too great a cost.

And two, the Presidents’ Trophy is suddenly a lot cooler than it was a couple of weeks ago.

“You’re right, that stretch after the Boston game our focus wasn’t there,” Henrik Sedin said. “Maybe we looked forward to that game too much and afterward had trouble coming back to being the kind of team we are.

“The Boston game was our peak and it took us a long time to get back to where we wanted to be.”

Still, get back they did, Henrik said, insisting on the debatable notion that the Canucks played their best hockey of the year the final 10 games of the regular season.

That’s why he finds it inexplicable that the team bowed out of the playoffs so meekly.

Well, always trying to be helpful, let’s suggest the power...

For Sedins, Canucks victories are primary concern

Posted on April 24, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

Daniel Sedin during the pregame warmup prior to playing the Edmonton Oilers in a NHL preseason game at Rogers Arena in Vancouver October 1, 2011.

A couple of things stood out on Tuesday as the Canucks cleared out their lockers. One, that 4-3 win on Jan. 7 in Boston clearly came at too great a cost. And two, the Presidents’ Trophy is suddenly a lot cooler than it was a couple of weeks ago. “You’re right, that stretch after the Boston game our focus wasn’t there,” Henrik Sedin said. “Maybe we looked forward to that game too much and afterward had trouble coming back to being the kind of team we are. “The Boston game was our peak and it took us a long time to get back to where we wanted to be.” Still, get back they did, Henrik said, insisting on the debatable notion that the Canucks played their best hockey of the year the final 10 games of the regular season. That’s why he finds it inexplicable that the team bowed out of the playoffs so meekly. Well, always trying to be helpful, let’s suggest the power...

Canucks’ Schneider takes defeat on the chin, pulls no punches

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Province Sports in Province Hockey | No comments

Tough loss Vancouver Canucks goalie Cory Schneider look dejected after losing to the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Arena on April 22, 2012. During game 5 of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Vancouver.

Still in a state of shock, Cory Schneider did what he did all season. He didn't hide from the microphones, he answered all the questions and he didn't cut himself any slack Sunday. That's what an accountable professional does, win or lose. As much as the Vancouver Canucks goaltender didn't want to search for silver linings in dropping a 2-1 overtime decision to the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Arena to exit the postseason in just five games — despite a 35-save performance sprinkled with sensational saves — the Presidents' Trophy winners found something in losing. They found a starting goaltender and depending on how the crease conundrum plays out in the offseason with Roberto Luongo, you can remove the backup label from Schneider. It was obvious that it was going to take something special to push a puck past Schneider, whose calm and structured neutral system frustrated the Kings. It had to be an extra effort, an...

Post Game

Posted on April 22, 2012 by admin in Province Hockey | No comments

As much as the Vancouver Canucks goaltender didn't want to search for silver linings in dropping a 2-1 overtime decision to the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Arena to exit the postseason in just five games — despite a 35-save performance sprinkled with sensational saves — the Presidents' Trophy winners found something in losing. They found a starting goaltender and depending on how the crease conundrum plays out in the offseason with Roberto Luongo, you can remove the backup label from Schneider. It was obvious that it was going to take something special to push a puck past Schneider, whose calm and structured neutral system frustrated the Kings. It had to be an extra effort, an outmanned...