Erik Ersberg, who has started only two of 31 games in goal so far, will get the nod Wednesday when the Kings play in San Jose. The Kings are expected to go back to Jonathan Quick for Thursday’s home game against Phoenix. Here’s what Terry Murray said about the change in goal…
MURRAY: “It’s been a while since he has been in, but it’s more the fact that it’s a back to back and a lot of games in a short period of time. So he gets the nod.”
And why isn’t Quick, the Kings’ No. 1 goalie, playing against the first-place team in the Pacific Division?
MURRAY: “Well, it’s a road game. I’m a big believer in playing my best players at home, and I know Quicker is my No. 1 guy. The home game, to me, is an important game, as this one is, but I always think that if you’re going to have that kind of decision that you have to make, I will consistently go with the home game for the No. 1 goalie.”
Ersberg allowed four goals in a loss to the Rangers on Oct. 14, then broke a lengthy losing streak when he allowed two goals in a victory over Carolina on Nov. 11. Two days later, Ersberg entered the game in the second period after Jonathan Quick allowed three goals against Atlanta, but Ersberg hasn’t been in a game since then.
At the start of this season, Murray cited Ersberg’s ability to play well, after long stretches of inactivity, as one of his strengths. Below, Murray talks about why Ersberg (and similar goalies) have success in that area…
MURRAY: “I think there’s a uniqueness to it, absolutely. It’s a requirement that you work extremely hard in practice to keep your game sharp. You have to clearly understand that you’re the backup goaltender, that you must stay ready at all times, to clean up in a game maybe, and take advantage of your opportunities. No matter how many weeks or months it is from start to start, that’s your job. There is a uniqueness that some goalies certainly can do it better than others.
“We saw it from Ersberg last year. He did a real good job in that particular scenario a couple times, and that’s what is going to be required tomorrow. Obviously it’s been a while since he played. He has been working hard in the practices. He looks good. He’s as good as you could possibly expect, after these many days off without playing a game. So I know it’s a big requirement. It’s going to be a hard test for him, but it is for every player that’s going to play the game. It’s a difficult building to play in.”
sounds like he plans on losing and wants to keep quick ready for the home game.
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“Well, it’s a road game.”
I generally like TM, but I find this logic to be lacking.
Personally, I’d like to see Quick start both games. He’s played plenty of back to backs this year, so I’m not sure why this one is any differen. I’d prefer to let EE get his time in against those at the bottom of the standings.
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Well, honestly, I think the question, “Why Ersberg against San Jose” could just as easily be asked about any game that the Kings play this week, because they’re all important. Calgary was very important because of relative Conference standing and their games in hand. Dallas and Phoenix are within a few points of knocking the Kings down a notch in the standings, so it’s important to keep both of them in the rear-view mirror.
In fact, you could argue that San Jose may be the least important game of the week, because the Kings can make the playoffs without overtaking San Jose; they just have to stay where they are. But they can’t stay where they are now if they let Dallas and Phoenix pass them.
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I like it…I have always thought to give yourself a better chance against the weaker team.
You never know when your back-up will shine and steal a game from a solid team.
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LOL uhhhh? Wouldn’t it make for sense to play Quick against the Sharks and Ersberg against the Coyotes? Terry Murray is hilarious
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Counting last night’s win, the Kings have seven games within eleven days including 2 back-to-backs. It is important to get Quick a game or two off during this stretch. I would have expected TM to play Quick in San Jose if he had learned from his “mistake” on the first roadtrip of the season. Regardless, go get ‘em Erik!
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I agree with the away game/home game concept, which makes this different than the New York issue when, if memory serves me right, was in the middle of a long road trip. It also seems that home games bring more pressure, making road games the better choice for the back-up. And, as I posted on an earlier thread, the problem with the “starter being on a good run” thought process is that if you are a top NHL team (and we are becoming one) our starter will always be on good run. The coaching staff is just going to have to pick their spots to get the starter a rest and to get the back-up in a game. Usually this will be dictated by the schedule; back to back games, especially when there is travel involved, are likely points to pick.
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Dayman,
what were you reading that you feel that TM thinks we are going to lose tomorrow night?
Making a comment about playing in a tough building does not equal to losing.
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Good point, HawKings. In addition to which, I would add that Quick has not proven conclusively that he can start 70 games at the NHL level without tiring. If we get to the playoffs and Quick is gasping for breath because he was worked so hard in the regular season, the same people questioning TM now will be wondering why he didn’t just bite the bullet and rest Quick more often.
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QUESTION……Do you guys know why Calgary gets booted out of the playoffs in the first round every year??????
ANSWER……When you ride Kipper’s pine all season and burn him out, he has nothing left for the playoffs.
Play Ersberg tomorrow and give Quick his much needed rest….
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random question: Why do fans feel they have the right to say, “We played well, we have a rough road ahead…” the emphasis on WE. Fans are not part of the team nor do they have an effect on how well or bad a team does, with the exception of a home game.
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I think he knows exactly what he is doing, just does not like to share all his reasons with the media. Here is what I think he is thinking, and I think it is sound:
Playing E tomorrow against Sharks, this is a game you don’t expect or need to win. SJ will finish above us. Phx on the other hand, we need to get the 4 point difference from them in Thursday’s game. Also, E needs his confidence built BAD. If he wins, it will get the HUGE boost. If he loses, it was expected anyway, and he will get the pat on the back nonetheless, with little ill effects of the loss. Finally, there IS more pressure to win at Staples, and E’s performance on the road seems better. They say TM is an analytical genius. Maybe true?
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@EAsportMT
i guess that was a far leap for me to make.
“I’m a big believer in playing my best players at home.” i’m far from being a coach, but don’t you want to play your best players against the better teams regardless of the venue.
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Dayman: It is because WE care so much about the team and have so much emotional investment in them that WE feel like WE are a part of the team and that makes us happy.
Reason #2 – All of the money WE spend on the team and generate for the team through merchandise, through the website hits, by watching the games, by paying for Rich’s salary with our interest in this kind of coverage, through ticket sales, etc etc.
You are entitled to your opinion but i love this team and I consider all die hard fans to be a part of the team.
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From a rest perspective, it would have been best to give Ersberg the start Saturday. That would have given Quick Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off between starts, where as now, he only gets today and tomorrow.
Regardless, I’d prefer Ersberg play on the road so good call by TM.
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I was really hoping Quick would get the start. I want this team to compete for the division lead.
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WE whether we live up here in the Northwest, So Cal, Midwest, Canada, etc, WE stand by OUR TEAM and true FANS stand by THEIR TEAM whether WE lose or win. WE invest OUR time, OUR emotional support, and heh, even OUR money.
Without the FANs, WE have no team.
WE aren’t bandwagon Duck fans or unsupportive Coyotes fans.
WE ARE the KINGS!
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these are all good points. starting quick against the sharks makes sense because they are a better team than the yotes. starting quick against the yotes makes sense becuase there is added pressure on the team at home to perform. teams are said to play a simpler game on the road. more defensive, stay-at-home. this makes it easier on the goalie. with that logic, starting ee in san jose makes the most sense. i’ll take wins over phx and dal along with a loss to sj for a 3-1 week anytime. 20-11-3 sounds pretty good to me. maybe ee steals a point for us in o/t. 20-10-4 sounds even better.
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TM is truly all over the place. I don’t care what you think about this particular decision, the guy has contradicted himself multiple times about why he chooses which goalie to start. His last plan was to stay with the hot goalie. Now his plan is to start the #1 goalie at home. His first plan was to pencil in the starts at the beginning of the season and stick with them. Then he changed his mind. Now he says he, “will consistently go with the home game for the No. 1 goalie.” AK47, it would be hilarious if it wasn’t so maddening.
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Dayman and wavesinair,
I dont think it is a contradiction. We (the fans, not WE the players) have no idea what Quick is telling TM and how he feels, or things that they have noticed that may indicate he is getting tired.
So now you have a choice. TM is thinking he needs to rest his number one goalie for one of the next two games, which one do you choose?
TM believes his #1 goalie should play at home, so the decision is made to start EE against San Jose, that’s it, nothing more to it.
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Let’s see how this plays out, TM will look like a genius or a buffoon, hopefully the former.
I agree with the comments above that the Phoenix game could be construed as more important.
I hope EE does well. He’s been a good sport all season, and he consistently congratulates Quick at the end of the game. You have to respect that.
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We can’t forget that a goalie plays one of the most demanding physical athletic positions on the team.
I remember drink so much water from just sweating out on the ice. Don’t forget all the leg splitting gymnastic moves out there.
The last thing we want is Quick to go down with the most common goalie injury- a Groin Strain.
Ersberg got one last year and if we remember, that is why Quick came up and since that injury Ersberg didn’t play like that feisty little goalie that would stand on his head and got rid of Beach Ball’a Barbara.
Brodeur is someone else I think of. He has been a goalie that has played up to 60 games a year and he is also the one I can remember getting Groin Strain all the time.
Forget about Quick getting tired, the last thing I want is Quick getting that dreaded groin strain and increasing those chances on back-to-back games.
Get Ersberg in there and let him lose some rustiness so that we don’t panic when we does end up playing.
Ersberg will do fine, practice is one thing, a game is another and to get that goalie in the rotation he has to play.
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I like Ersberg’s attitude, and I think he is a gamer. But I would like to see Bernier flown in here for a spot start now and then for these types of back to back games. Give Bernier the shot tomorrow. The Sharks would have little time to prepare for a goalie they have not faced.
Ersberg has been in three games this year, and in my opinion, San Jose has the best 1st line in the game. I don’t like this call.
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It’s simple math. San Jose will be in the playoffs, so our games against them are just like games against the East – they only matter for OUR points. But games against Phoenix count double – our points and theirs. Better to increase the odds that we can get a win AND they get a loss – even if it means lowering the odds against the Sharks.
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Simmer.
Exactly that.
Points against SJ are nice, they move us up, But points AWAY from Pheonix, are better because it denies them a chance to move on up past us.
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Bottom line is Quicker needs to rest or he’ll burn out like a flame. EE will play well enough to give us a shot. They (we) need to pull together as a team, and play a sound defensive game in front of our goalie, no matter who it is in order to beat the Sharks.
All this speculation from these “armchair coaches” does not make a difference. There is a reason why TM is a coach and we are fans. If we win, which I think we have a real solid chance to do, all this will be soon forgotten.
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i dought quick will pull a groin hes to flexible
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This is hillarious. All this talk about SJ being so much better and that points against them are just points, as opposed to the double whammy against PHX. As of right now the difference is a WHOPPING 6 points between LA and SJ. Granted PHX is just two behind, but EVERY division game should carry the same weight… even in the eyes of fans. Reading most of your comments has me thinking we’ve given up on the team having any chance at this division title. Might I remind you that LA has 3 out of a possible 4 points this season against SJ.
As for goalies, EE has shown he can rise to the challenge, and judging by his last performance he may have found the focus to escape that funk he was in. Quicker is the #1 guy, but what would it say if the #2 guy only played against perceived weaker opponents? He has to be given the chance to prove himself. And in this case, there are 3 more games against SJ after this one, so why notlet him show that his solid start before injury last season was no fluke? His career against SJ might be 1-2-1, but he’s also 2.89 and .918. All the more reason to be worried, right?
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i think TM is giving up on catching the sharks in the standings…whereas we will probably be in a close playoff race with phoenix if the season keeps going the way it has been.
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My two cents:
1) Terry Murray doesn’t feel he has to tell reporters the details of his process. He has said so repeatedly.
2) HB Kings Fan #99 is right, I think. He’s not really following any “go with your #1 guy at home” rule. He’s managing Ersberg’s fragile psyche.
3) I don’t know if HB said this also, but: it’s a road game. It’s not the pressure of playing in front of the home crowd. For the same reason power plays are better on the road; start the frail goalie on the road. (and, like HB said) against the team that is perceived to be elite.
4) San Jose is actually only 2 games ahead of the Kings, if you look only at losses and OTL/SOLs. There is no reason, this season, to assume that the Kings are worse than San Jose. In fact, the Kings, with Kopitar’s line intact and playing well, is better than the Sharks, who only have one line. It’s a great line. But they lack depth and they’re old. Don’t rule out finishing higher than SJ. Of course, the Kings are within reach of SJ, but they’re also one loss away from 10th place, and two or three from the basement.
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I meant to say, “The Kings depth is better than the Sharks.”
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This move makes sense if he wants to rest up Quick because he plans to play him against phoenix then dallas and next week on the road against vancouver and edmonton back to back and then calgary again. Quick needs to rest sometime.
Quisp, I always agree with what you have to say. I do not agree with the fact that the kings will challenge SJ this year. I keep talking about expectations, I don’t believe we should be expecting the kings to be at the top of the division this year. If they can make the playoffs that is already a success and if they can be midpack (i.e. 4-5 position) that is even as good as one can expect from the team this year. I would love for the kings to be a top team but I don’t believe they are there yet.
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The Phoenix game demands the better goaltender because it is the second of a back-to-back with travel. Ersberg is facing the Sharks with fresher teammates, but coming home to play Phoenix the next night will be tough for us and I am glad to have Quick in there for that game. Again, I am gonna trust Murray.
And by the way, I like to say WE. I also am willing to take chit from inane posters for doing so.
So, I hope WE win tomorrow night, and the next, too.
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You dont sub out a hot goalie. TM did the same thing the 1st time EE played…and it was not good. Quick is playing strong and confident…dont sit him now!
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From what I’ve seen in past seasons there is no way one goalie can carry the load all year long. Better to play it safe with your number one, give EE some games now and then so as not to destroy the golden goose’s ovaries before the playoffs–I’ve seen it happen before. And the added benefit is you are able to find out if EE is the answer to the backup question…if not, it’s early in the year and you bring in Bernier and give him a chance and some invaluable experience in the big show (and some preparation for the postseason).
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Quisp, FWIW, I agree that the Kings could catch San Jose, and I wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m arguing in favor of giving up on that, or conceding anything to them. My point is simply that, given how the standings are right now, you could argue that beating Calgary was just as important as beating San Jose, and that beating Phoenix and Dallas is more important.
If the Kings stay where they are in the standings, they’re good to go. It would be nice to get the Division title and the home ice advantage, but not necessary to declare this season a success. However, as you point out, it’s still a very short drop to 10th place, and that means you have to do everything you can to make sure the teams behind you stay behind you.
In short, I think this is a sane decision by TM with the overall arc of the season in mind.
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This is the same mistake Murray made in New York. Way to disrupt the flow. Quick needs to play in San Jose. Absurd to think otherwise. Ersberg against the Sharks in their building? WTF.
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I think putting EE in at San Jose is a good move. The forwards now know that they have no choice but to get the puck deep and get it out of our own zone. Which will get the pressure off Erik, and we know how to forecheck. Thats when either we draw penalties or score goals. Speaking of drawing penalties, how bout big Ivan last game? drew 2 penalties and threw blows. Good job raitis!! TM good move on the goalies. I would rather have quicker at home.
Oh hey fans, stop giving up on the kings when they lose a game. If your a real fan of LA, you can stomach losing, trust me. every team has droughts, losing streaks, injuries. thats part of the game. Brush it off if we lose, and keep your head up. NO WHINING!!
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Sev, re challenging San Jose;
Depends on what you mean by challenging. In the standings, they’re challenging right now. They’re four points back. Can they keep it up? Maybe. Can SJ? They usually do. However, I’ll bet you think the Kings can steal a round of playoffs if they make it. And we all know in the first round SJ is going to freak out under the pressure. Will they prevail? Maybe, maybe not. The Kings could get to the second round while SJ is already playing golf.
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Quisp,
what I mean by challenging is for division title. I believe the kings have a greater chance at challenging san jose in the first round if they ever meet (considering the sharks record in the playoffs). Seeing how the kings barely held on (i.e. a couple of posts and some real good bounces) to beat calgary. I don’t see the kings being a top team in the league yet. When you watch a team like Calgary, you really see what it takes to be a top team, skill throughout the lineup and hard work. Those guys did not give up.
The fact that almosyt half way through the season, we are even discussing this is a really good sign for coming seasons. Can’t wait to see this team with 1-2 more years of maturity.
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As a Fantasy owner of Johnny Quick I just wanna say Terry Murray is a GENIUS! lol. And to think i almost gave the injured Craig Anderson the start this week out of fear of San Jose’s offense. Good to know TM has our fantasy backs when it comes to the Quicker! Plus, his quote that he likes to go with the #1 guy at home in B2B’s will help me make goalie decisions on TM coached teams for the rest of his coaching career. Quotes like that are like crack to Fantasy owners! haha. Greetings from East Coast Suburbia everyone! Love my isles and my Johnny Quick!
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Jon Quick will be the #1 goalie here for the forseeable future, so whether he starts against SJ or PHX isn’t all that important. But if you don’t have Smyth in the lineup, plus Frolov and Kopitar and Brown getting tons of unproductive ice time, it wouldn’t matter if you have Rogie Vachon in goal, beating SJ is a tough order. Better to grab the points you can and make a run at the Sharks after the Olympics.
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Quick should go against the Sharks. 2-0-1, lifetime against them. Ersberg: 1-2-1. Yes, every game is important, but again, I’m going with logic, here. Of course I wish him well if Erik is b/t the pipes tonight. I’ll have my bag ready when I start to breath heavily.
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This move is clearly motivated by the confidence factor. If Quick plays tonight and gets shelled he may lose confidence and the coaches are not going to let that happen. He would be a mess for the next game and they would probably have to start Ersberg and they do not want to lose two in a row. Quick plays Thursday so the coaches are betting on at least one win out of the two games. It’s pretty simple.
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“Betting on winning one of the two …” Well what kind of confidence does that show in the team?
Moot point. Erik’s in. It’s 1-0 as I type. How bout that?
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