Midseason analysis: the goalies

Going into the season, the Kings’ goalie position received the most attention and scrutiny. Jonathan Quick was coming off a record-setting season in goal, and Jonathan Bernier was coming off a season in which he was the top goalie in the AHL and, by all accounts, ready for the NHL. Some in the national hockey media wrote and spoke, with confidence, that it would only be matter of time before Bernier beat out Quick for the No. 1 spot. What happened? Quick got off to a brilliant start and has consistently ranked in the top five among all NHL goalies in wins and goals-against average. Bernier, playing sporadically for the first time in his young career, after being a starter at every level, hasn’t put up the expected numbers.

The positives? Quick was flat-out fantastic for the first five weeks of the season. Through 11 games, he had a 10-1-0 record with a 1.52 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage. More than the numbers, though, Quick simply looked like a different goalie than the one who finished last season. He looked to be in top condition and, on the ice, looked calm and in control. When Quick gets off his game, he tends to scramble a bit and get out of position, but for most of this season he has played with poise and confidence. Quick turned in a career-highlight type of game on Dec. 4 in Detroit, when he made 51 saves in a 5-0 win over the Red Wings. Bernier has had his moments as well, most notably in two wins over Nashville, in which he stopped a combined 54 of 56 shots.

The negatives? The goals-against have started to pile up for Quick in recent games — he has allowed 18 goals in his last five starts — and that dip probably cost him a spot in the NHL All-Star Game. Every goalie gives up bad goals at times, but Quick was near-flawless at the start of the season and has allowed a few more goals of late that, as Terry Murray politely puts it, “he would like to have back.” Bernier has struggled to get any momentum going. Optimism reigned when Bernier looked solid in consecutive starts against Nashville and Anaheim in late December, but then Bernier allowed six goals in 34 minutes to Philadelphia on Dec. 30. Bernier hasn’t been terrible, but he has yet to consistently show the same command and confidence he showed in his three NHL games last season.

What’s next? Quick is on pace for 58 starts, which is right where Murray wanted him to end up. But the Kings are currently on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture, looking in. What happens if the Kings are still fighting for position a month from now, and into March? Will Murray go back to riding Quick the way he did at the end of last season? Is that what is best for the Kings? Things will be a lot more simple if Bernier can maintain Murray’s trust.