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Kings prepare to face Vegas and possibly Jonathan Quick

April 5, 2023

What could have resembled a winner-takes-all tilt with a Kings franchise legend facing his former team for the first time Thursday might have seen its luster diminished with Tuesday’s loss, but there are no small games at this time of year.

The Kings have just four opportunities to make a push skyward, toward home ice in the first round and potentially even throughout the Western Conference playoffs, beginning with a joust against the Pacific-pacing Golden Knights in Vegas and, potentially, former franchise goalie Jonathan Quick.

Quick started Tuesday, losing in overtime to the Nashville Predators. The prior two games, both wins over the Minnesota Wild, and the third period of another match went to another Vegas netminder, Laurent Brossoit. Whom Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy tabs Thursday probably won’t be known until the morning skate, but the Kings have pondered the prospect of facing Quick since the winningest goalie in team history was traded late on a fateful February night.

“We’re still going to go out there and try to win. That’s for sure. I would love to score on Quickie,” said fellow two-time Stanley Cup champion Drew Doughty while the bitter aftertaste of the trade still soured his palate. “But it’ll be tough if we have to play against him, I’m not going to lie.”

The Kings trail Vegas by four points for first place in the division and are also trying to get on the right side of Edmonton. The Oilers blanketed the Kings with two victories in five days by an aggregate score of 5-1, but all that wool only left them hanging by a thread, leading the Kings by just one point.

The Kings will split their remaining games between Crypto.com Arena and the road, while Edmonton has just one home game remaining. The Kings will face Vegas and defending champion Colorado before wrapping up the year by hosting Vancouver and visiting the lowly Ducks. Edmonton has a softer schedule, with Colorado as its only playoff-bound opponent mixed into a meeting with the Ducks and two with the cellar-dwelling San Jose Sharks.

While figures, percentages, measures and statistics, both basic and advanced, have proliferated in recent years, much of the stretch run and playoffs has always hinged on the unquantifiable and barely seen – the fire in bellies and desire in eyes.

“I think all of those intangibles that you can’t open up the newspaper and read are at a fairly high point with our team right now,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “The focus is there, the attention to detail is there quite a bit, the drive to win, the game management, we’re in a good spot. We have to continue to build on that and make sure that we’re keeping our gas tanks full.”

A full tank is one thing and a complete roster is quite another. The Kings were without defensemen Mikey Anderson and Alex Edler as well as top point-producer Kevin Fiala and natural goal-scorer Gabe Vilardi on Tuesday. McLellan declined to provide any injury updates, and all four players should be deemed doubtful for Thursday, especially given that the Kings recalled another defenseman, Jordan Spence, from the minors Wednesday. Fiala’s lower-body injury has been the most mercurial, as he returned to the lineup and then vanished anew.

Without Fiala and Vilardi, the Kings’ once-robust power play has continued to sputter, even as they have thrived in their own zone and prospered in the standings. Absent a four-for-five performance against St. Louis, the Kings have converted on just 7 of 45 power plays since the game after the Quick trade on March 2, the sixth-worst clip in the NHL during that span.

On Tuesday, the Kings’ man–advantage savvy faltered once more with an 0-for-4 showing, while Edmonton broke their season-long drought against the Kings on the power play, as both goals allowed by Pheonix Copley came with the extra man.

“The thing that would stand out was special teams. Vilardi and Fiala are kind of key guys for us in that aspect,” said defenseman Sean Walker, who this time last year was among several injured Kings. “But again, on the back end, losing two solid defensemen like that isn’t great for us, but it’s something that we’ve dealt with before. So, next man up, and do your job.”

The next task will be confronting Vegas, which has led the division practically wire-to-wire this season, though the Kings have taken both meetings since the Golden Knights’ opening-night victory.

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The Vegas attack is led by centers Jack Eichel and Chandler Stephenson, but their lineup has often been improvised. Already entering the year with long-term injuries to center Nolan Patrick and goalie Robin Lehner, Vegas has had to use four different netminders due to injury (they currently have two goalies sidelined). Among other injuries, they’ve also been without a top defenseman, former Duck Shea Theodore, for a good portion of the season between two separate stints on IR, and he remained sidelined Wednesday.

Kings at Vegas

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

TV/Radio: Bally Sports West/iHeart Radio

Orange County Register

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Kings prepare to face Vegas and possibly Jonathan Quick

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