The Los Angeles Kings goaltender had been dominant in six straight playoff series over two years and the defending Conn Smythe Trophy winner had been exuding the kind of confidence that has allowed him to shut down every team he has faced.
Until now. The Chicago Blackhawks scored two goals in the second period Saturday and won Game 1 of the series. Quick was no longer a goaltending wizard...he was just another guy with pads and a goalie mask.
Sunday night, the Blackhawks scored four goals against him before the game had even reached its halfway point. That's when head coach Darryl Sutter had to do something strange. He pulled Quick and replaced him with backup Jonathan Bernier. The Kings lost 4-2 and now trail 2-0 in the series.
Sutter did not lose faith in his goaltender—he merely wanted Quick to save his strength, apparently.
Sutter on pulling Quick: "We play 5 games in the next 10 days."
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) June 3, 2013
Great goaltenders are not robots and can't be perfect all the time. Quick had been on a sensational run in which he had not allowed more than three goals in any postseason game since 2012. That 34-game streak is now over.
Quick is going to try to regain his top form when the Kings take on the Blackhawks at the Staples Center in Game 3 on Tuesday. He will have one day to put this loss behind him and get back to the form that made him the Conn Smythe front-runner just a couple of days ago.
Quick had a 1.50 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage when the Kings finished their series against the San Jose Sharks. That figure has jumped to 1.76 and his save percentage is .940 after the two losses in Chicago.
His playoff resume should allow the 27-year-old Quick to shake off a playoff clunke...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
