Kings G Quick credits solid game planning for recent turnaround
Sometimes all it takes is one, and against the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night, one was all the Los Angeles Kings needed to extend their winning streak to a season-high eight games.
It shouldn't come as a surprise anymore, as the "flip the switch" mantra has been used for a few years now, but there was little room for error in the 1-0 nothing win against an Eastern Conference power, it might have been one of the most impressive wins of the current streak.
"That team is a high-scoring, high-forechecking, five-man team, and they are dangerous," said winger Justin Williams. "Credit our six men on the ice for doing well."
The sixth man credited on the ice was, of course, Jonathan Quick, who registered only his fourth shutout of the season but the 35th of his career, which ranks him at No. 4 amongst active goalies. Quick's struggles have been well-documented but when he returns to form, the Kings have their foundation to build up from.
Quick says it's simply solid game planning. If that's the case, something must have changed with those game plans because in the last eight games, he's been in a form that only Jonathan Quick is capable of: A .940 save percentage and 1.63 GAA.
"There's a plan every night," he said. "We know what we have to do and we know what we have to take away, routes we have to take off ice and with scoring threats, what we like to take away."
What they've taken away is the power play goals.
The Kings have allowed only one in the last eight games and managed to hold the best power play unit in the league scoreless. The Red Wings went 0-for-5 with the man-advantage and while it was Williams who scored - with help from Jake Muzzin's blast from the point - in the first period, it was the penalty killing units that ultimately made the difference.
"First and foremost, we don't want to take away too many penalties, but that's going to happen," said center Anze Kopitar. "We need our PK to be on like it was tonight."
It wasn't a pretty hockey game, but entertaining for what it was worth. And pretty hockey isn't really the Kings' thing to begin with. They heavily checked a heavy checking team and went to the corners for grimy battles that earned them possessions. And when the Kings had the puck, they played it nearly perfect.
"It's just taking care of the puck," said center Anze Kopitar. "At this time of year, we're playing desperate teams and we don't want to make it easy on them with our mistakes and them getting chances off our mistakes."
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The Kings can play abysmal hockey and then make one correction. One then leads to two and suddenly the Kings are suddenly the hottest team in the Western Conference again. The eight-game streak the longest in the league and has earned them 16 standings points to put them in the third place in the Pacific (70 points) trailing Vancouver by only three points.
The champs have their swagger back, and they intend to keep it.
"The thing is, when things are going well, you want to keep them going well," Williams said. "You've got to work harder to keep them going well and that's what we're going to keep doing in practice."
