USA vs. USA vs. USA

Coincidences can be funny sometimes. On Jan. 1, Jonathan Quick got named to the U.S. Olympic hockey team as one of its three goals, along with Buffalo’s Ryan Miller and Boston’s Tim Thomas. Within the next three weeks, Quick stood at the opposite end of the ice from both Miller and Thomas, and beat them both in shootouts.

Quick is expected to be USA’s third goalie at the Olympics next month, and said he didn’t take any individual pride in beating two of his future teammates…

QUICK: “I have been getting a lot of questions, as far as, `You’re going against Tim Thomas, you’re going against Ryan Miller.’ It’s a team game. It’s the Kings going against the Bruins. It’s the Kings going against the Sabres. Both times, it was a hard-fought game, and we were able to battle back from a goal down, two goals down, and getting two points. We’ve just got to refocus, enjoy this win for as short a time as possible and refocus.”

Here’s what Quick said about ending the homestand on a good note…

QUICK: “That’s huge. It’s not only huge for us, it’s great for the fans. They’ve been coming out and they’ve been supporting us, so it’s good to get a win for them and give them a good taste in their mouth as we leave.”