The four All-Star teams (one from each division) were announced today by the NHL, and two Los Angeles Kings will be attending. No surprises on who those two are; it’s Jonathan Quick and Drew Doughty. From the press release:
This season Quick is 22-9-1 with a 2.26 goals-against average, .916 save percentage and three shutouts. His third shutout of the season tied him with John Vanbiesbrouck and Frank Brimsek (40) for most shutouts among American-born goaltenders. He also broke his own franchise record by winning 20 games in his 30th appearance, the fastest that plateau has been reached in franchise history (previously 36 games). His NHL rankings among goaltenders are the following: second in wins, tied for fifth in appearances (32), tied for sixth in shutouts, eighth in saves (818) and tied for ninth in GAA. Quick has been named an NHL Star of the Week two times this season (No. 1 Star Jan. 4, No. 3 Star Oct. 26).
Doughty this season has registered 24 points (7-17=24), a plus-16 rating, six power-play goals and three game-winning goals. His NHL rankings among defensemen are the following: tied for first in plus/minus, third in time on ice per game (27:56), third in power-play goals and tied for second in game-winning goals.
Quick was as close to a shoo-in as you could get. He’s second in wins (as mentioned above) but more importantly, he’s the top starter in terms of save percentage, GAA, and everything else in the Pacific. The other Pacific goalie (John Gibson) has only played 15 games, if that gives you an idea. As for Doughty, he’s third in the division in points among defensemen; add that to his other benefits and he’s a deserving choice.
As usual, the discussion is largely going to be about who’s not there, and in contrast to past seasons, the Kings could have some beef about who isn’t at the game. Namely, not one of the Kings’ “Big Three” of Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, and Tyler Toffoli will be attending. Is anyone going to be really upset about this? Probably not. Plus, when you can only have six forwards, good players will get left out, and four of the representatives (Johnny Gaudreau, Taylor Hall, Joe Pavelski, and Daniel Sedin) are in the NHL’s top ten in points. And if John Scott hadn’t gotten voted in, another Coyote (Boedker? Domi?) would have.
The only questionable inclusion is Corey Perry; if you’re the lowest-scoring team in the NHL, do any of your forwards deserve a spot? That spot probably wouldn’t have gone to a King anyway, though; hosts Nashville are the only team with three players on the squad.
Nonetheless, congrats to Quick and Doughty, each of whom will be at the All-Star Game for the second time. It’ll be fun to see how perhaps the best 3-on-3 goalie in the NHL handles the new format. Darryl Sutter will be coaching them in his second straight appearance; hopefully he brings Chris again.