On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Kings will stick with their long-time netminder after stealing Game 1 in Edmonton. Jonathan Quick and the Kings came into Alberta as road dogs on Monday but defied oddsmakers with a critical 4-3 victory to jump out to a 1-0 series lead. They will have to make lightning strike twice near the Canadian Rockies with the Oilers again favored tonight.
Morning Skate in Edmonton!
— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) May 4, 2022
As has been his process, no Jonathan Quick on the ice today, tonight?s projected starter to no surprise. pic.twitter.com/9SeArNWakl
Quick has been with LA his entire 15-year career, so having him skip the morning skate seems like a ritual he has earned. The 36-year-old certainly earned the victory on Monday after making 36 saves and putting up a save percentage of .923.
Quick had a resurgence this season, recording his lowest goals-against average (2.59) and best save percentage (.910) since the 2017-18 campaign. Granted, he only started 46 games, with Cal Petersen getting the nod in 35.
Quick will have his work cut out for him to push the series to a 2-0 LA advantage against the league’s third-best powerplay and the NHL scoring champ in Connor McDavid.
The oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook are not convinced the Kings will even the series. LA is +172 on the moneyline while the Oilers sit at -210. Bettors are jumping on the under at 6.5 as the juice has flown to -118, while the over can be had for -104.
