It’s clear the San Jose Sharks are trying to get L.A. Kings goalie Jonathan Quick off his game. Smart move. He’s just a Conn Smythe Trophy winner from two years ago.
Early in the first period of Game 2 on Sunday evening, as San Jose forward Mike Brown leveled Tyler Toffoli with a huge check in the offensive zone, knocking the Kings’ center into Quick and sending him up into the air and hard to the ice.
You’ll recall that early in the first period of Game 1, Brown sent Slava Voynov into Quick with another big hit, albeit after the whistle in that case, causing a scrum behind the net.
Now, unlike in Game 1, the Kings got off to a much better start. Jake Muzzin opened the scoring and gave L.A. the early lead at the 1:51 mark of the first period.
The Kings managed a two-goal lead, thanks in large part to the goaltending so far from Quick, who made respective stops on partial breakaways off Patrick Marleau and Tommy Wingels.