Is Jonathan Quick The Favorite For The Vezina Trophy?
As the season winds down and we head into the postseason, you’re going to start hearing a bit more about the NHL awards, which will be presented in Las Vegas this summer.
We already have a pretty decent idea as to who some of the guys who will be there will be, but the awards themselves are still very up for grabs. One of those races is that of the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league’s top netminder.
The Los Angeles Kings came into the season with sky high expectations. Continuing to build a young group out west, and fresh off of a blockbuster deal for Mike Richards, many wondered whether or not anyone in the Pacific Division will be able to hang with the Kings for the title.
But things haven’t exactly gone as planned in Hollywood. Though they’re pretty much a lock for a playoff spot, the Kings have had a tough time finding the offense on a regular basis, and it hasn’t done them any favors in trying to secure a decent spot for the postseason.
However, there has been one bright, shining star this season, and he resides between the pipes.
Jonathan Quick has stolen the show all season for the Kings, and has been the major factor in any success they’ve managed to find all season. His stats speak for themselves. His 1.89 goals-against average is second in the NHL, behind Brian Elliot, while his save percentage, sitting at .931, is tied for third.
The fact that the Kings have had such a hard time putting the puck in the net has only made what Quick has done this season more impressive. Quick hasn’t seen much of any sort of offensive support, as the Kings rank towards the bottom of the NHL in goals per game.
On the flip side, the Kings don’t allow very many goals either. In comparison to ranking 29th in the National Hockey League in goals per, the Kings are ranked second in the league in goals allowed per game. Look no further than quick for the big reason why the Kings have found success, even without finding the twine.
Quick’s 10 shutouts are tops in the league, including his blanking of the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, which helps the Kings creep closer to grabbing the third seed in the Western Conference. And while he’s managed to get a win in those 10, he hasn’t been so fortunate in others, as he’s lost five games that ended in a 1-0 score.
Earlier this season, I suggested that Henrik Lundqvist was becoming a “lock” for the award. I’d like to take that back as Quick has leapfrogged him to take over the lead in the race for the Vezina Trophy.
The two have posted very similar numbers, but Quick has done it for six more starts than Lundqvist, while getting next to zero offensive support from the guys playing in front of him.
I’m not trying to take away from anything that Hank has done this year, and he is still very deserving of the award. I simply believe that Quick deserves it just a little bit more.
It will be interesting whether the fact that the New York Rangers have already wrapped up the top spot in the Eastern Conference into consideration when deciding the Vezina winner, compared to the fact that the Kings are still trying to determine their playoff fate. The Rangers could survive without Lundqvist, though they obviously wouldn’t be where they are now. Where would the Kings be without Quick?
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