Gäste-Forum » Patrick must do something

NEW YORK -- Jonathan Quick watched plenty of New York Rangers games on television while growing up in nearby Milford, Conn., but it was always a tough ticket to get into Madison Square Garden. Just once before he got on the ice at the age of 12 for an intermission pee-wee shootout, and then Monday night at the age of 28 the Los Angeles Kings goaltender made a much more memorable appearance. Quick shut out the Rangers 3-0 to put his team up three games to none in the Stanley Cup final and one victory away from a second title in three years. "You make one save and then you try to make the next," Quick said with little excitement in his voice after arguably his best performance in these playoffs. "We had a lot of guys that block shots, clear rebounds. Our (penalty kill) was very good tonight, possibly the difference in the game. You just make one save at a time and try to get ready for the next one." Of Quicks 32 saves, two of them stuck out. In the first period he got his stick on a shot by Mats Zuccarello that went off the post and was bound to deflect in, and in the second he extended his paddle to get a piece of Derick Brassards offering that couldve been just what the Rangers needed to get back into the game and perhaps the series. Quick couldnt remember what happened on either one. It was hard for anyone else to forget. "Hes one goalie that can save those kind of things," Kings defenceman Drew Doughty said. "Not to say that we expect those saves from him, but were so used to seeing them because they happen so often that its just normal business." After watching Quick win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during Los Angeless 2012 Cup run, Dustin Brown isnt even in awe anymore. The Kings captain used to look up at the video board to figure out just how the puck stayed out of the net, but now he doesnt even bother. "The best example is playing at the Olympics and seeing other guys react to it and Im just sitting there because Ive played with him long enough and hes made enough of those saves you kind of expect him to do it," Brown said. "Its not shocking by any means. Hes been doing this all playoffs." Quick hadnt been doing quite this in these playoffs. Monday night was just his second shutout in 24 games this post-season, but it was the ninth of his NHL career. His stats during this run -- a 2.80 goals-against average and .906 save percentage going into Monday -- were hardly dazzling, but teammates were eager to give him credit for what had transpired before his masterful Game 3 showing. "All I know is everyones talking about Quickie and hes a big, big part of the reason were here because he is a goaltender that makes big saves at big times," Brown said. Quick did need some help and got it with goals from Jeff Carter, Jake Muzzin and Mike Richards. Carters goal with 0.7 seconds left in the first period stunned the sellout crowd of 18,000-plus in the first Cup final game at the Garden in 20 years. Carters seemingly innocent flick of a shot deflected off the skate of diving Rangers defenceman Dan Girardi before going in off Henrik Lundqvists glove. "I was reacting low and it went high," Lundqvist said. "Its just one of those plays where, with a little luck there that puck ends up in the netting or the glass. Unfortunately, half a second left and it ended up in our net. It was a tough play." That goal marked the first lead for the Kings since Game 6 of the Western Conference final against the Chicago Blackhawks. Los Angeles came back from two-goal deficits to win Games 1 and 2 at Staples Center. "It was a little bit easier scoring first, obviously," centre Anze Kopitar said. "Scoring at 0.7 left the first takes a little bit of wind out of their sails and energizes us." A rash of high-sticking penalties by the Rangers early in the second period didnt help, and Marc Staals led to Muzzins power-play goal. With Martin St. Louis trying to get his body in front of Muzzins shot from the point, the puck instead went off the Rangers winger and past Lundqvist 4:17 into the second period. Fans tried to generate some noise off the face-off, and the Rangers followed with plenty of chances to get back into the game. The power-play unit that entered the night 1-for-8 in the series managed some sustained pressure but came up empty thanks to Quicks brilliance. New York finished 0-for-6 on the power play in Game 3. Asked what went wrong in general, coach Alain Vigneault answered only: "We couldnt score." When Lundqvist was asked what happened, the usually charming media darling fired back: "Better question." What happened in the second period was the Rangers fell behind 3-0 as Richards got a two-on-one with Trevor Lewis, banked his initial shot off Ryan McDonagh and buried his second to put the Kings in cruise control. Despite 15 multi-goal comebacks already in these playoffs, an NHL record, a three-goal deficit looked daunting even as the Rangers out-shot the Kings 32-15 overall because Quick appeared unbeatable. Ultimately, he was. "He was obviously the best player on the ice tonight," Vigneault said of Quick. "Give them credit. They found a way to put the puck past our real good goaltender and we couldnt do it." Marian Gaborik, playing his first game back at the Garden since the Rangers traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2013 deadline, called Quick the Kings "cornerstone" Monday night. Doughty termed him their "backbone" all the time. Monday night was a reminder of that to anyone who forgot how good Quick can be at his best. "I dont think he has to remind us too many times," Kopitar said. "We know what hes capable of. Thats why we love having him back there." Twice in Game 3 he made saves that earn him that kind of love and admiration and a place on highlight reels. At the 12:37 mark of the first, Zuccarello had a no-doubt goal from just in front, but his shot hit the post and then Quicks before going wide. "It was an empty-net goal, and he got a piece of it," Brown said. "That allowed us to get our legs going and not fall behind early." Quicks most spectacular of the night came 10:22 into the second on Brassards offering from the side of the net. A cross ice pass forced Quick to go full extension, and with his paddle almost parallel to the ice he kept it out. "It looked from the bench like the guy just missed it, but you look at the replay and he gets a piece of it," Brown said. "He has a different style than all the other goalies in the league. Hes just quick and he gets post-to-post faster than any goalie in the whole entire league." Now one victory away from a second championship in three years, Quick isnt a strong Conn Smythe candidate this time around. But in dominating against the Rangers on Monday night, he put the Kings on the verge of recapturing the trophy they really care about. "Hes still been very sharp for us and hes been a huge key for our success without a doubt," Doughty said. "Maybe he didnt have to stand on his head like he did in 2012 but tonight I thought he stood on his head." NOTES -- Neither team made any lineup changes from Game 2, which meant that Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr missed his 16th straight game with injury. David LeNevu again served as the Rangers backup goalie with Cam Talbot (undisclosed) still out. ... A handful of celebrities were featured on the arenas video screens, including New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire, late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon and actors Bryan Cranston and Robert De Niro. That dampened the enthusiasm of a crowd that included more than a few people who paid a premium to attend. Tickets on the secondary market were going for over US$1,000. As their realistic chances of making it a series hung in the balance, the Rangers didnt put together a season-saving performance. After falling behind, New York picked up two straight high-sticking penalties that could have been worse had defenceman Marc Staal not gotten away with an extra one on Kings captain Dustin Brown. Staals offensive-zone high-sticking penalty that did get called led to the Kings second goal of the night. With Martin St. Louis trying to get his body in front of Muzzins shot from the point, the puck instead went off the Rangers winger and past Lundqvist 4:17 into the second period. Fans tried to generate some noise off the face-off, and the Rangers followed with plenty of chances to get back into the game. The power-play unit that entered the night 1-for-8 in the series managed some sustained pressure but came up empty thanks to Quicks brilliance. The 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winners best save of Game 3 came just after a New York power play expired, when he got his stick on what should have been a gimme goal for Derick Brassard at the side of the net. While Quick made saves look easy, Lundqvist got a break. The Kings didnt manage a shot on net for more than nine minutes in the second period. When they got back on track, it didnt take long to suck the rest of the air out of the Garden. With Trevor Lewis accompanying him on a two-on-one rush, Richards took an initial shot that hit Rangers defenceman Ryan McDonagh, and the Kings forward buried the second offering to make it 3-0 at 17:14. A record 15 multi-goal comebacks have meant no lead is safe in these playoffs. But Quicks stellar play ensured this would not be the 16th. NOTES -- Neither team made any lineup changes from Game 2, which meant that Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr missed his 16th straight game with injury. David LeNevu again served as the Rangers backup goalie with Cam Talbot (undisclosed) still out. ... A handful of celebrities were featured on the arenas video screens, including New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire, late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon and actors Bryan Cranston and Robert De Niro. China Jerseys Stitched . The 25-year-old Brazilian player has only made four Premier League appearances for United this season and underwent a medical test in Italy on Friday. Fake China Jerseys . "Right now were kind of looking at him at the end of the rotation right now," said pitching coach Pete Walker. "Not indicative of how hes doing or how hes feeling. Its just, it seems like the spot we want him right now. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/. Assistant coach Glen Gulutzan said Thursday that Edler, who played Tuesday in Nashville, is out indefinitely. Cheap Jerseys From China . Toronto (11-12) gave up leads in 10-8 and 11-4 losses to the Baltimore Orioles this week. It was never close Friday as the Boston Red Sox got to Mark Buehrle early en route to an 8-1 win. China Jerseys Wholesale . -- Michael Phelps is 0 for 1 in his comeback to the pool.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Patrick Roys fiery personality was on full display in the opening game when the Colorado coach got into a heated exchange with Anaheim, banging his hands again and again on the glass partition until it tilted. That eruption set a tone for the season: The Avalanche werent going to be pushovers. Not with the combustible Hall of Fame goaltender taking over behind the bench. Roy guided this franchise -- the one he led to two Stanley Cup titles as a player -- back into the playoffs by tying a team record with 52 wins. They play Minnesota in a first-round series that begins Thursday. "Patrick is the ultimate winner. He doesnt accept anything less than winning," backup goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. "He did that as a player and hes doing that as a coach. "He does that when he plays golf, he does that when he plays cards, he does everything to win. And that has really translated to our team. He changed the whole mentality in this room, and it shows every time we go out on the ice. We play to win, so its fun to see that." As for that volatile temper, the players insist they rarely see it inside the locker room -- not after a bad period or a tough loss. This is their team, Roy said from the day he was brought on board, and he was there more for support than to scold. He was partnering with them, not ruling them with an iron fist. The breathing room allowed the youthful Avalanche to make some mistakes and learn from them. "They need to have someone who they can come up to and talk," said Roy, whos the fifth coach in NHL history to win 50 or more games in his first season. "Its their system." Roys only previous experience on the bench was serving as coach and general manager of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. So he leaned on his assistants, as well as former teammate turned executive Joe Sakic. Roy has been a little unorthodox in running the team: From pulling his goalie with two, three, sometimes four minutes remaining if theyre down a goal to assembling them at centre ice after a practice and having them all yell "team" at the same time. "If we want to be different than weve been in past years, then we have to do things differently," captain Gabriel Landeskkog said.dddddddddddd "Its been great to see his point of view on things. You see the team that we are. You see the team that weve become. "At first, you might wonder, Whats going on here? But its certainly working for us." No arguing that. They were 35-0-3 this season when taking a lead into the third period and had the best winning percentage in one-goal games simply because they played loose and with confidence. "Patrick empowers us," Matt Duchene said two weeks ago, before suffering a knee injury that will keep him out for the start of the playoffs. "Sure, he gives us a kick when we need it. But when he knows we need to be treated with a little bit softer (touch) and brought up instead of put down, thats what he does. "Hes very good at sensing the feeling in the room. Hes helped us all achieve what were capable of achieving." Perhaps no one more than Semyon Varlamov, who turned in a career season under the watchful eyes of Roy and goalie coach Francois Allaire, the man responsible for helping turn Roy into one of the best goalies in hockey history. Varlamov won a league-high 41 games this season, breaking the team record held by Roy. "Of course its a big deal to beat Patricks records," Varlamov said. "Hes one of the best goalies in the world." All this from a team that won just 16 games in a lockout-shortened season. "What a season theyve had," Wild forward Jason Pominville said. "Theyve completely turned it around." Really, the only big additions are rookie Nathan MacKinnon and the presence of Roy. "They must have done something right and Patrick must do something right to make that happen," said Pominville, the teams leading scorer. Indeed. The foundation for that transformation was built in Roys very first game in charge when he lost his cool and yelled at Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau, pounding on the glass. That was after a 6-1 win, too. Roy was fined $10,000 and reprimanded by the league. Wild coach Mike Yeo jokingly said he plans to "check the partition" between the benches before the playoff series. "This is a team that we have to have a lot of respect for," Yeo said. "Theyre an in-your-face team." Just like their coach. ' ' '