Johnson, on the blocks

Following up on yesterday’s shot-blocking feature, I got a chance to catch up with Jack Johnson, who leads the Kings with 54 blocked shots this season. That’s a steep rise from last season, when Johnson had 86 blocked shots in 80 games, but Johnson said the rise isn’t necessarily by design…

JOHNSON: “No, I’m not doing anything different. I’m just trying to stay between my guy and the net, and sometimes they hit you and sometimes they don’t. I’m trying to keep the guy from getting to the net, not necessarily the puck. It’s not something I focus on. That’s his [Jonathan Quick’s] job.”

Question: Talking to Matt Greene about it, he said it’s not just physical, that there’s some technique behind it. How much do you have to think before you might try for a block?

JOHNSON: “It’s just about staying in the guy’s lane. That’s pretty much all I’m trying to do. I don’t like to go down. I was always taught to never leave your feet, because if he [the shooter] does fake the shot, you’re in a lot of trouble. I think it’s just guys just hitting me on the shin pads this year. It’s just being more in the guys’ lane, probably, than last year. It’s not something I really set out to do or anything. It just happens.”