Ahead of today’s morning skate, there was idle speculation about whether Peter Budaj would get to start again after a solid performance against the Dallas Stars or if Jeff Zatkoff would regain his role as assumed starter with Jonathan Quick sidelined.
Well, it didn’t take long before we got an answer.
Missed what happened, but Zatkoff just suffered an apparent injury during the morning skate. Needed help off the ice, to room.
— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) October 22, 2016
Ok, ok, don’t panic. No worries. I’m sure it’s a minor thing, right?
Official word from LAK is lower-body injury, questionable for tonight.
— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) October 22, 2016
It…. might be time to panic.
Expecting Jack Campbell to head on the 10 West (or 210, if there’s traffic) and back up Budaj tonight. Ontario at home.
— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) October 22, 2016
OK it’s definitely time to panic.
As usual, Darryl Sutter had an eloquent explanation.
Darryl, on Zatkoff: “He stopped a shot, and his groin tightened up.”
— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) October 22, 2016
Asked DS question re Zatkoff seeing a doctor, etc. DS: “I was more focused on the goalie who was starting, not the goalie who wasn’t.”
— lisa dillman (@reallisa) October 22, 2016
One thing of interest to note here:
So… Four games into the Kings‘ season, and the Ontario Reign goaltending tandem is now in LA
— The Mayor John Hoven (@mayorNHL) October 22, 2016
Also, according to Lindsay Czarnecki of the Reign Insider, Dusty Imoo (the Reign’s goaltending coach) is going to back up his son Jonah Imoo (who was signed to a PTO following Quick’s injury in San Jose) tonight as they take on the San Jose Barracuda.
So in Los Angeles, we have a former NHL backup who was the best goaltender in the American Hockey League last season and a former AHL backup who was passed on Dallas’s depth chart, wound up in the ECHL before coming to LA in a trade as a major reclamation project.
Worried? Who would be worried?