Jonathan Quick has built his reputation off strong play in the postseason. However, that failed to show in the first game of the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks series and now the goalie will need to rebound in order to even out the score before heading back to the Staples Center.
Quick was pulled after two rough periods that saw the Kings falling behind by five goals. However, Quick was not the only reason for the loss. The Kings failed to get anything past Sharks' goalie Antti Niemi which added up to a 6-3 loss. Quick has been the focal point of the Kings in the postseason for years. Last year he was the main reason Los Angeles got past San Jose in the first round. He limited the team to just 10 goals in seven games. His poor play in Game 1 is uncharacteristic and the Kings need him to return to his normal form.
While Quick struggled, Niemi excelled. The goalie in inconsistent for most of the regular season which caused him to have his starting status for the postseason put into question as rookie Alex Stalock had been having a better second-half of the year. However, Niemi responded well as Los Angeles failed to get anything past him until it was simply too late.
The return of Raffi Torres brought big things for the Sharks in Game 1. The forward played juts five games in the regular season for a variety of injuries, but returned in strong form. He led the Sharks with seven hits and a goal. He also led the aggressive charge early. The teams had a combined 55 hits in the first period as the Kings finished with 69 total and the Sharks had 52 in the game. Expect that tone to follow throughout the entire series.
