The San Jose Sharks have been rough with Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick and it seems to have gotten to him. Quick still turned aside 24 of 26 shots in the Kings’ 2-1 loss last night, but how much of an issue is this going into Game 7 on Tuesday (9:00 p.m. ET, NBCSN)?
Mike Milbury and Keith Jones took a look at this issue:
Speaking to Kings coach Darryl Sutter not calling attention to the Sharks play against his goaltender, it’s worth adding that Sutter was asked after the game if he had any complaints.
Sutter passed on the opportunity to bring it up. When asked what the key for Game 7 was, he spoke about the need for his team to avoid penalties early.
The Kings took three minor penalties in the first five minutes of Game 6 and the Sharks netted their first goal of the contest during a 5-on-3 opportunity.
It’s also worth adding that before Sunday’s contest, San Jose captain Joe Thornton spoke of the need of getting “within 10 feet” of Quick and finding an opening. Thornton’s goal is to “use his aggressiveness against him” and that might be easier to do if Quick loses his cool.
At the same time, the Sharks have only managed six goals against him in their last four games.