The impending goaltending battle in Los Angeles has been well documented.
It’s supposedly been imminent for over a year now.
However, last season could be best summed up like this…
Jonathan Bernier entered the year with high hopes, came out of the gates slow, admitted that he didn’t feel comfortable in the crease until after Christmas and then played lights out hockey when given the chance in the second half, including going 4-0-1 in March with two shutouts. The Kings also picked up a point in Bernier’s final nine starts of the regular season. He didn’t see the ice for a single minute in the playoffs.
On the other hand, Jonathan Quick won at least 35 games for the second straight season, while posting a 2.24 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
During training camp, coach Terry Murray said he’ll be going with the hot hand this year – rather than following a penciled-in schedule, like he did most of last season.
For the Kings opening weekend, Murray went with Quick in game one (where the Kings downed the Rangers in overtime 3-2) and Bernier got the nod vs. Buffalo on Saturday (a 4-2 loss for LA).
Taking all of the above into account, plus the fact the Kings could possibly still be jet lagged from the trip to Europe (Quick even tweeted as much yesterday), what should Murray do with the next two games?
The Kings are scheduled to play the Devils in New Jersey on Thursday night and then take on the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Poll closes Wednesday at 6pm PST.
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