Tyler Toffoli continues to shine for the Kings. On Tuesday night vs. the Sharks he set up the first goal of the game and scored the second, finishing the night as a plus-2 with a team-high five shots on goal. Perhaps even more amazing is six other LA forwards had more ice time than the 21-year-old winger.
Since being recalled from Manchester, Toffoli has 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 22 games played. His goal total places him fifth on the team at the moment and his plus-13 rating ties him with Drew Doughty for third-best on the team. The only two forwards with a better plus-minus rating are Anze Kopitar (+18) and Dustin Brown (+14).
Because he only played 10 regular season games last season, Toffoli is still considered a rookie by the NHL guidelines. Thus, he’s eligible for the Calder Trophy this season, awarded to the league’s top rookie.
After the Kings 4-1 win over the Sharks, here’s what he had to share…
On how Martin Jones is playing:
“For myself, it’s just another game. He’s just so steady. You can’t say anything nicer about the way he’s playing. He’s playing unbelievable and definitely helping us win games.”
On how Jones stays so calm:
“It’s just the way he is. He’s such a big goalie, he’s in the right spot. Even when he’s scrambling, we’re there to help him out. Obviously a couple of good bounces going our way, but that’s just the way hockey is. We have to keep playing steady hockey in front of him and helping him out.”
On his goal:
“As soon as I jumped on the ice, I knew that all five of their guys were going on. I think me and Lewey were both breaking there, and Slava made a nice pass to me. I saw that the far side was open and I just shot it.”
On his pass to Slava Voynov:
“It’s just the way hockey is. A smart play.”
On feeling confidence with Jones in net:
“It’s funny, he jokes around and says he’s usually nervous playing the puck, but you’d never even notice with how calm he is. The plays he makes behind the net… I mean, it’s not just him, it’s our defense helping him out and our forwards getting back there too. Definitely communication helps him out a lot and he’s making that play for us.”
On what having Jones in net does for the team:
“It keeps our bench nice and calm. It makes things easier for us knowing that he’s going to be there to save us if we make mistakes. So, having him back there really helps us out.”
On if how Jones is playing is surprising the team anymore:
“I don’t know about the other guys, but like I keep saying, it’s not a real surprise to me. In Manchester, he’s making 50 saves a night and he doesn’t get enough credit. I’m really happy for him and it’s amazing that he’s getting all the credit now because he definitely deserves all the hard work he’s been putting in here. He’s just taking all the opportunity he can.”
On if there is anything Jones can’t do:
“We’ll have to wait and see. See what he can’t do.”
On Jones as a teammate:
“He’s unbelievable. He’s one of my good buddies and one of the nicest guy you’d ever meet. It definitely makes it even nicer seeing him do such a good job here.”
On moving up from Manchester with Jones and playing together on the Kings:
“It’s the way hockey is. The luck of the draw, we’re just trying to make the team and give the team a little jump. I’m doing my best offensively and he’s obviously stopping all the pucks. It’s been a lot of fun.”
On Jones having more points than Trevor Lewis:
“I don’t know, Lewey had an apple tonight, he didn’t get it. So I think they’re going to have to redo that one. I think he deserves an assist after how hard he was working tonight.”
MORE POST-GAME COVERAGE:
Locker Room Quotes: Kings and Sharks talk LA’s 4-1 win
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