The Kings are winless after two games, and because the club has ceded nine goals on its first 54 shots against, goatees are being stroked in the general direction of the crease.
Jonathan Quick, though, isn’t interested in his .833 save percentage, or, for that matter, goaltending statistics in general.
“No, that’s for people that don’t know the game,” he said. “Those numbers don’t mean nothing. We’re 0-2, though. That number means something, so that’s something that we’ve got to get better at.”
And for the third time in three games, Los Angeles will take on a divisional opponent at home. This time it’s the Vancouver Canucks who will visit Staples Center, and they’ll be entering the building after having made the quick drive up from Orange County following the conclusion of their game Monday night against the Ducks.
There’s just enough data to approach the cusp of a meaningful sample size, but for four consecutive seasons, Quick has started slowly. Prior to this season, he posted an .896 save percentage in his first two games in 2014-15, .893 in 2013-14 and .849 in 2012-13. In all seasons, his save percentage over the first month of the season was higher than what he had posted over his first two games.
Though that may be of some solace to Kings fans, Quick wouldn’t be taken by whatever narrative the numbers spit out.
“We’re just trying to win tomorrow,” he said. “We’ve got a game tomorrow against Vancouver, a division game, so we’re getting ready for that. They’re a good team. They were a playoff team last year, so they did something we weren’t able to do last year. We’ve got to bring our best.”
Jonathan Quick, on what he makes of the first two games of the season, followed by a break:
Just getting ready for tomorrow. That’s it. We’ve got a few days to get ready for tomorrow. A few good days of practice, a day of rest. We’ve got a division game at home, so we’ll try to bring our best to that game.
Quick, on whether Tuesday’s game comes after a long wait:
That’s how our schedule breaks down sometimes. Sometimes you get a back-to-back, sometimes you get a couple days. It’s just the way it worked out.
Quick, on whether dialogue with Bill Ranford increases after losses:
No, we have our routine. We’ve been working with each other for a long time. He’s really good at knowing what I need, so we stick with our routine. It’s worked in the past. We find if it’s not working that we might have to tweak somethings, but I’m confident in his ability to help me when I need it.
Quick, on whether Ranford ever surprises him with instruction or guidance:
No, because with the position there are so many little things that go into it. One day, one thing could make him want to look into it, and then it could be something else. He’s always trying to keep the goalies at the top of their game.
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