The Los Angeles Kings have been on a roll as of late, winning seven games in a row prior to their overtime loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Nov.13. A key contributor to this success has been Jonathan Quick. Currently, the numbers he has posted this season are among the league’s top goaltenders, and he has turned back the clock in 2021-22.
Quick’s Fantastic Start to 2021-22
Quick has backstopped much of the Kings’ early success this season. He has started in eight games, meaning he has earned the starting role in just over half of the team’s 15 games. During this span, he has been excellent. He currently boasts a 1.98 goals-against average (GAA) and a .935 save percentage (SV%). As of Nov. 15, his GAA is tied for seventh-best in the league with Erin Comrie of Winnipeg. Overall, only eight goalies (including Quick and Comrie) have lower than a 2.00 GAA, highlighting that Quick has been extraordinary in this regard.
Further, Quick boasts an outstanding .935 SV%. This is tied with Calgary Flames’ starter Jacob Markstrom for sixth in the league. However, this number is very close to the best in the league, as San Jose Sharks’ goalie James Reimer and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers are tied for the top spot in the league with a .940 SV%. Due to the Kings’ slow start (before their winning streak, LA was on a six-game skid), Quick doesn’t have as many wins as his stat-line would indicate, as his four wins are tied for 20th in the league with a plethora of other goaltenders. Overall though, his record of 4-3-1 is quite good.
Quick has been posting consistently good numbers in each of his starts this season. The only night he’s had below a .900 SV% was on Oct.22, when the Kings lost in overtime to the Dallas Stars. He has provided the Kings with five performances that saw him boast a .917 SV% or higher (including a shutout in his most recent outing). His other two games saw him post a .900 SV% and .903 SV%, respectively. Thus far, in 2021-22, he has consistently been playing well and is typically providing Los Angeles with stellar performances between the pipes.
Quick’s Struggles Prior to 2021-22
Following the 2017-18 season, where Quick posted a .921 SV%, and a 2.40 GAA, his numbers took a nosedive. Over the next three seasons (2018-19 to 2020-21), he only posted above a .900 SV% once. The totals he posted during those three seasons are as follows:
| Season | SV% | GAA |
| 2018-19 | .888 | 3.38 |
| 2019-20 | .904 | 2.79 |
| 2020-21 | .898 | 2.86 |
Excluding 2019-20, when Quick’s numbers somewhat rebounded to more respectable totals, he certainly struggled over the past three seasons. Although one might feel inclined to argue that these struggles were due to the entire team struggling during that span or because of injuries he sustained during said period of time, either way, his numbers weren’t on par with the lofty standards he established early in his illustrious career.
Quick’s Start Shows Reason for Optimism
Lastly, Quick has “turned back the clock” this season. So far, his outstanding play resembles his prime years, rather than the past few seasons where he struggled. The 35-years-old’s reemergence is great news for the Kings, as they are hoping to compete for a playoff spot this season. Alongside Cal Petersen (who showed last season in both the NHL season and in the last IIHF World Championships that he can play better than he currently is), Los Angeles possesses a formable duo in net. Having two goalies that can be relied upon to win games will undoubtedly help carve out the Kings’ path to a potential playoff berth in 2021-22.
Stats per NHL
