Touchy subject right?
The last line of defense and the first line of criticism? Seems harsh. Sometimes. At other times it seems warranted.
For Darryl Sutter and the Kings there may have been another factor at play after the recent comments about "needing a save" from the No. 1 goalie: Motivation.
Nonetheless, it is still a risky game.
Jonathan Quick has been arguably the Kings most valuable player this season, with a save percentage and goals against that dazzled in the beginning of the season. Even with the team fatigued and a bit out of sorts, Quick was winning them games with a resurgent form. Last year he was questioned quite heavily after one of his worst statistical years on record. There were also the playoffs, where he had a sub .900 save percentage in both the Sharks and Blackhawks series. Nevertheless, the prideful Quick came into this season looking as sharp as ever and led the Kings on a very hot start. With nagging injuries behind him, No. 32 was in Vezina caliber form.
Since about mid-November the Kings have cooled considerably. They have struggled on the road, and Quick has seen a save percentage that pushed .940 fall back down to the .925 range. Still tremendous numbers, and still making saves like these:
Cue Tuesday night in St. Louis. Everything seemed to come to a boil after the Kings frustratingly lost to the Blues in what could only be described as a third period breakdown. Be it from goaltending, discipline, or defense, the Kings looked entirely stupefied and rattled by a burgeoning young superstar in Vladimir Tarasenko. The Blues scored four third period goals on the L.A. Kings and Jonathan Quick, while only allowing eight shots in the period.
Despite it being a team effort of poor defensive coverage and a parade to the penalty box, Darryl Sutter pulled no punches in his post game presser in regards to Jonathan Quick.
On St. Louis capitalizing on momentum:
I didn’t really see it like that. I think that we’ve got to get a save in there somewhere. It’s frustrating.
On the team having been strong at protecting leads:
It’s not the same team. It’s quite a bit different team on the back end, and I’ve said all along we need great goaltending.
Harsh words it seems. Especially when you consider it is ultimately a team game, and Quick did not play as exceptionally poor as the stats conveyed. You could even make the case that the Kings have been a lackluster defensive team this season and have only been saved by the good graces of Jonathan Quick.
And here is, in theory, the reason Sutter did what he did:
1. Jonathan Quick is a prideful guy. He is a battler. He is one of the mentally stronger goalies in the NHL. That being said, a kick in the pants is sometimes a ploy from coaches to get his guy going. While Quick hasn't been in the same unbelievable form as earlier in the year, he is still keeping the Kings in quite a few hockey games. Sutter is challenging Quick to STEAL a game for his team. It's about turning the screws on your goaltender and getting him to sharpen up that focus just the smallest bit. The two have a solid relationship and are pretty similar guys when it comes to low key attitudes. Maybe a bit of public questioning was all he needed to get Quick back into the mental groove he was in earlier in the year. Who knows.
2. This one, at least I believe, is the one that makes the most sense.
It's time for the team to bail Jonathan Quick out. Maybe the harsh words for Quick were less about Quick and more about the guys in the room. Perhaps Sutter was hoping that the men in front of Quick would read those post-game comments and say, "Hey, wait a minute..."
Just like how a goaltender pulls a goalie to motivate the team, maybe this was a similar fashion. We've heard about how Sutter can be a bit sarcastic at times when it comes to his motivating. Remember when Kopitar and Greene talked during the playoffs about how Sutter would come in between periods and praise opposing goaltenders to no end? Maybe it's a similar tactic. Take a shot at blaming your goaltender in the post game and hope his teammates step up to the plate and say, "Hey, ya know what? It isn't his fault. We need to play better in front of him."
Risky play again, because you could easily lose your goaltender and his confidence. However, this could be something Sutter and Quick understand on their own while the other members of the team don't. Who knows? Sutter is quite the poker player. With two rings to his name it is hard to question the methods at this point.
Maybe he simply doesn't like Quick's game right now and it's as simple as that.
One thing for certain, the Kings have been a bit more lackadaisical in their defensive duties this year. The forwads in particular have been a bit slow on the defensive game. With a blueline that is in transition, the games have fallen on the shoulders of Jonathan Quick to make a game-saving stop or two on more than one occasion.
While he has simply been average lately, Quick has been the team MVP to this point in the season. You might be able to make a case for Tyler Toffoli or Tanner Pearson, but Quick has won the Kings his fair share of games.
Will Sutter's motivating tactics pan out? Despite the high score line and awful start on Thursday night in the Blues-Kings rematch at Staples, the team looked a little more spirited and prideful. Ultimately they got the win, but the game was incredibly wide open. Definitely not Kings hockey.
Nonetheless, it's December and the Kings are fighting for a playoff spot. Would you expect anything less of a team that seems to struggle in the regular season every year? Not really. The team is good for at least one solid month of slumping a season, and hopefully this past month or so is as bad as it gets. The Western Conference is again tight, and if the team continues to be a middling offensive team that is bad on the road than Sutter is going to have to do more than call out a goalie to will these guys into the playoffs.
Time will tell.
What do you think is the reason for Sutter calling out Quick? Is it as simple as he isn't playing very good? Or is there a deeper motivating factor?
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