A timetable is a wide range for a grade 2 groin strain, so no firm timetable was announced. Quick will miss an extended period of time, leaving Ben Scrivens as their starter.

The Los Angeles Kings announced today that starting goaltender Jonathan Quick has a grade 2 groin strain. This means that Quick will likely be out for 4 to 6 weeks, maybe more. Groin strains are very tricky for goaltenders, and often times players try to come back too soon, and then get reinjured.  This injury is a big blow for the Kings, and maybe for the US Olympic hockey team, as well if Quick is not fully ready by February.  Quick had a magical year 2 seasons ago when the Kings won the Stanley Cup. He went 35-21-13 that season in 69 games played with a 1.95 goals against average a .929 save percentage and 10 shutouts.  He was even better in the playoffs with a 16-4 record a 1.41 goals against a .946 save percentage and 3 shotouts.  Quick has never come close to those numbers again.  Last year he went 18-13-4 with a 2.45 goals against and a .902 save percetage.  That save percentage was most definitely medicore.  As I have stated before, the NHL average is around .912-.915.  Anything less than that is subpar.  This year while Quick has a good 10-5-0 record, his save percentage is only .905.  He just has not been playing up to the level he did a couple of years ago.  Well he is going to be out for a while now, and it looks like backup Ben Scrivens who came over in a trade with Toronto will get his chance to be the starter. Scrivens has played in 5 games this year with a 1-1-1 record a nice 1.89 goals against and a .924 save percentage.  His career numbers are not as impressive though at 12-15-3 a 2.78 goals against and a .911 save percentage.  At 27 years old he has never had to shoulder the load of being a starting goaltender in the NHL.  He will have to now.  At least for a while.  The Kings have called up Martin Jones from the AHL to backup Scrivens. Jones has put up some good numbers in ths AHL going 9-2-2 this year, but for now Scrivens is going to be the man. Grab him and put him in your linep if you can.  The Kings are a solid team, and Scrivens should get a lot of wins. Stick saves: Minnesota goaltender Josh Harding came in to replace Niklas Backstrom after he was hit hard by Toronto forward Nazem Kadri a few nights ago. Harding had 19 saves in the Wild's 2-1 victory.  He has been outstanding this season with a 10-2-2 record an amazing 1.21 goals against average a .947 save percentage and 2 shutouts.  You have to ride this guy now because the often injured Backstrom is likely to be out for a while, and Harding is hot.  Get him in your lineup ...

ALL GOALIES CONFIRMED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AT TIME OF PRINT With the loss of Jonathan Quick to the dreaded LBI (lower-body injury), Ben Scrivens will see most of the action in net for the Los Angeles Kings. Scrivens takes on Kevin Poulin of the New York Islanders who is looking to push his foot in the door a little further for the Isles' starting job. Evgeni Nabokov hasn't instilled a lot of confidence in the coaching staff with a 3.24 GAA and .894 SP.  The team has played much better in front of Poulin as his numbers show (2.35 GAA & .924 SP) and he has started 4 of the past 6 games for the Islanders. The Kings are coming off a tough loss to the Buffalo Sabres but look for that to continue on the Island.  On home-ice, the advantage belongs to Poulin.... Jean-Sebastien Giguere draws a tough assignment tonight for the visiting Colorado Avalanche as they take on Jaroslav Halak and the St. Louis Blues. Giguere is playing lights out with a 1.00 GAA and .970 SP and a perfect 5-0-0 record.  Halak is playing well also with a 9-2-2 record but his stats don't match Giguere's.  However, the Notes have the home-ice advantage and the team should be ready to take on the NHL's biggest surprise so far this year in the Avalanche.  I would love to get "Jiggy" with it, but I just can't.  Blues at home after a tough OT loss to Phoenix.... Sergei Bobrovsky and the Columbus Blue Jackets head to Beantown to take on the Boston Bruins. Chad Johnson gets the call as the B's give Tuukka Rask a night off. This will be Johnson's third start of the year and the Bruins look to extend their winning streak to 4.  This is a good game for Johnson to play as the Blue Jackets have lost 6 of their last 7.  The B's won't leave Chad hanging in this one.... Tonight pits the two Conference leaders against one another as  Ben Bishop is in net for the Tampa Bay Lightning while Jonas Hiller gets back in the net for the Anaheim Ducks after 3 straight starts by rookie goalie phenom, Frederik Andersen.   The Bolts are coming off a 3-game road trip that was successful with 2 wins against Montreal and Detroit but suffered a devastating loss in Boston when their superstar scorer Steven Stamkos went down with a broken leg.  Bishop has been a rock for the Lightning in net, winning his last 5 starts.  The Bolts will return to the road after tonight's tilt.  Look for the Ducks to rebound after losing to the Florida Panthers 3-2 the other night.  Hiller will be the pillar in net for the Ducks tonight... ...

The Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick is out with a hamstring/groin issue. The Kings backup goaltender Ben Scrivens will get most of the starts until Quick returns. Scrivens has played in 5 games this year with a 1-1-1 record with a 1.89 goals against and a .924 save percentage.  His career numbers are mediocre at 12-15-3 with a 2.78 and .911, but he will be the starter now. Hardy Harding: Minnesota goaltender Niklas Backstrom was run over early by Toronto forward Nazem Kadri, and he was forced to leave the game. It looked serious and Backstrom may have a concussion.  His backup Josh Harding replaced him and he got the 2-1 shootout win with 19 saves. Harding will likely get a number of starts now until Backstrom can come back, although it looked like Harding already had a hold on the No. 1 job before last night.  He has been really solid this year with a 10-2-2 record a 1.21 goals agains and a .947 save percentage.  Play him if you can.  Wild forward Zack Parise had the regulation goal and the game winner in the shootout. Parise has 16 points in 19 games this year, and while those are ok numbers, he has not really lived up to his big contract.  Jonathan Bernier was the tough loser in goal for Torotnto as he played great with 33 saves. Flyers flying: The Flyers have now won 3 straight games after a terrible start to the season. Last night they beat the suddenly struggling Penguins 2-1 as Philadelphia's young foward Brayden Schenn scored both of the Flyers goals. Schenn has 12 points on the season in 18 games, so he is not yet fantasy worthy, but he will get there in time.... Ray Emery had a great game in net for Philadelphia with 31 saves, but his numbers this year are not that special and Steve Mason should maintain his hold as the starter. Emery's goals against is 2.82 and his save percentage is only .898....Sidney Crosby had a power play goal for Pittsburgh, and with Lightning forward Steve Stamkos out for possibly the rest of the season, the scoring title should be Crosby's to win. Stars are shining: Nice win yesterday for Dallas, 3-0 over Winnipeg. We are big fans of Stars' goaltender Kari Lehtonen, and he did not disappoint last night with 22 saves and a shutout. Lehtonen's numbers this year are strong with a 8-3-2 record, a 2.01 goals against, and a .932 save percentage.  Good numbers!  He is a first tier fantasy goalie....Dallas forward Tyler Seguin had a goal and 6 shots on goal. He also played 7:04 minutes on the power play, so he is being given ...

The Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick is out with a hamstring/groin issue. The Kings backup goaltender Ben Scrivens will get most of the starts until Quick returns. Scrivens has played in 5 games this year with a 1-1-1 record with a 1.89 goals against and a .924 save percentage.  His career numbers are mediocre at 12-15-3 with a 2.78 and .911, but he will be the starter now. Hardy Harding: Minnesota goaltender Niklas Backstrom was run over early by Toronto forward Nazem Kadri, and he was forced to leave the game. It looked serious and Backstrom may have a concussion.  His backup Josh Harding replaced him and he got the 2-1 shootout win with 19 saves. Harding will likely get a number of starts now until Backstrom can come back, although it looked like Harding already had a hold on the No. 1 job before last night.  He has been really solid this year with a 10-2-2 record a 1.21 goals agains and a .947 save percentage.  Play him if you can.  Wild forward Zack Parise had the regulation goal and the game winner in the shootout. Parise has 16 points in 19 games this year, and while those are ok numbers, he has not really lived up to his big contract.  Jonathan Bernier was the tough loser in goal for Torotnto as he played great with 33 saves. Flyers flying: The Flyers have now won 3 straight games after a terrible start to the season. Last night they beat the suddenly struggling Penguins 2-1 as Philadelphia's young foward Brayden Schenn scored both of the Flyers goals. Schenn has 12 points on the season in 18 games, so he is not yet fantasy worthy, but he will get there in time.... Ray Emery had a great game in net for Philadelphia with 31 saves, but his numbers this year are not that special and Steve Mason should maintain his hold as the starter. Emery's goals against is 2.82 and his save percentage is only .898....Sidney Crosby had a power play goal for Pittsburgh, and with Lightning forward Steve Stamkos out for possibly the rest of the season, the scoring title should be Crosby's to win. Stars are shining: Nice win yesterday for Dallas, 3-0 over Winnipeg. We are big fans of Stars' goaltender Kari Lehtonen, and he did not disappoint last night with 22 saves and a shutout. Lehtonen's numbers this year are strong with a 8-3-2 record, a 2.01 goals against, and a .932 save percentage.  Good numbers!  He is a first tier fantasy goalie....Dallas forward Tyler Seguin had a goal and 6 shots on goal. He also played 7:04 minutes on the power play, so he is being given ...

Quick has been sent back to Los Angeles and Martin Jones has been recalled from Manchester. Quick will be evaluated in L.A and then a timetable will be released.

If Quick is sent back to L.A he won't be starting tomorrow vs. the Islanders and could miss Friday's game against the Devils as well. We will await an official word from the Kings.

UPDATE: The Buffalo Sabres have fired Head Coach Ron Rolston and brought back none other than former Sabres coach, Ted Nolan. Along with bringing back Nolan, Buffalo announced that Pat LaFontaine will be joining the franchise as President of Hockey Operations.  I had mentioned a few weeks ago in my Sunday Morning Coffee that coaching changes were needed again in Buffalo. Good luck to the new staff. In last night's contest between two of the "Best In The West", Oliver-Ekman Larsson scored the overtime game-winner for the Phoenix Coyotes in their 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The 22-year old is making plenty of fantasy noise in his fourth season, as he looks to be breaking out in a big way. With a goal and an assist, the rising Swede now has 15 points in 19 games, "knocking on the door" of the fantasy elite defenseman in the NHL. Last season, he scored at a .50 point-per-game clip with 24 points in 48 games, but he seems to have taken his game to a higher level in the early stages of the '13-14 season so far. His rise to stardom looks eerily similar to the path taken by fellow countryman Erik Karlsson, who wasn't exactly surrounded by elite starpower either. Forget about the fact that Ekman-Larsson plays for a presumed defensive-minded team, the Coyotes actually resemble a very competent offensive squad this year, so look for him to make a strong push for top-five defensemen scoring honors. Anyone Better Than "AO"? Russian superstar Alex Ovechkin ended the game in grand style, scoring the OT game-winner in Washington's come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Columbus. With Steven Stamkos out indefinitely after breaking his tibia, "Ovie" should coast toward winning the Maurice Richard Trophy for most goals in the season. He has replicated his '13 Hart Trophy form so far, collecting 14 goals and 24 points in 17 games. With the possible exception of Sidney Crosby, he is the elite fantasy forward to own. Anderson Or Lehner? Despite Robin Lehner leading the Ottawa Senators to four straight wins and capturing Player Of The Week honors, Craig Anderson was back in the net to face the Philadelphia Flyers. The results were less favorable to say the least, as he gave up 5 goals on 31 shots in the 5-0 blowout loss. Anderson is 4-5-0 on the season with a 3.30 GAA and .906 SP. Meanwhile, Lehner posted a 3-0 record last week with a 1.33 GAA and .958 SP. The youngster has allowed two or fewer goals in six of eight starts, so he has been the far better option in goal ...

UPDATE: The Buffalo Sabres have fired Head Coach Ron Rolston and brought back none other than former Sabres coach, Ted Nolan. Along with bringing back Nolan, Buffalo announced that Pat LaFontaine will be joining the franchise as President of Hockey Operations.  I had mentioned a few weeks ago in my Sunday Morning Coffee that coaching changes were needed again in Buffalo. Good luck to the new staff. In last night's contest between two of the "Best In The West", Oliver-Ekman Larsson scored the overtime game-winner for the Phoenix Coyotes in their 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The 22-year old is making plenty of fantasy noise in his fourth season, as he looks to be breaking out in a big way. With a goal and an assist, the rising Swede now has 15 points in 19 games, "knocking on the door" of the fantasy elite defenseman in the NHL. Last season, he scored at a .50 point-per-game clip with 24 points in 48 games, but he seems to have taken his game to a higher level in the early stages of the '13-14 season so far. His rise to stardom looks eerily similar to the path taken by fellow countryman Erik Karlsson, who wasn't exactly surrounded by elite starpower either. Forget about the fact that Ekman-Larsson plays for a presumed defensive-minded team, the Coyotes actually resemble a very competent offensive squad this year, so look for him to make a strong push for top-five defensemen scoring honors. Anyone Better Than "AO"? Russian superstar Alex Ovechkin ended the game in grand style, scoring the OT game-winner in Washington's come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Columbus. With Steven Stamkos out indefinitely after breaking his tibia, "Ovie" should coast toward winning the Maurice Richard Trophy for most goals in the season. He has replicated his '13 Hart Trophy form so far, collecting 14 goals and 24 points in 17 games. With the possible exception of Sidney Crosby, he is the elite fantasy forward to own. Anderson Or Lehner? Despite Robin Lehner leading the Ottawa Senators to four straight wins and capturing Player Of The Week honors, Craig Anderson was back in the net to face the Philadelphia Flyers. The results were less favorable to say the least, as he gave up 5 goals on 31 shots in the 5-0 blowout loss. Anderson is 4-5-0 on the season with a 3.30 GAA and .906 SP. Meanwhile, Lehner posted a 3-0 record last week with a 1.33 GAA and .958 SP. The youngster has allowed two or fewer goals in six of eight starts, so he has been the far better option in goal ...

In last night's contest between two of the "Best In The West", Oliver-Ekman Larsson scored the overtime game-winner for the Phoenix Coyotes in their 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. The 22-year old is making plenty of fantasy noise in his fourth season, as he looks to be breaking out in a big way. With a goal and an assist, the rising Swede now has 15 points in 19 games, "knocking on the door" of the fantasy elite defenseman in the NHL. Last season, he scored at a .50 point-per-game clip with 24 points in 48 games, but he seems to have taken his game to a higher level in the early stages of the '13-14 season so far. His rise to stardom looks eerily similar to the path taken by fellow countryman Erik Karlsson, who wasn't exactly surrounded by elite starpower either. Forget about the fact that Ekman-Larsson plays for a presumed defensive-minded team, the Coyotes actually resemble a very competent offensive squad this year, so look for him to make a strong push for top-five defensemen scoring honors. Anyone Better Than "AO"? Russian superstar Alex Ovechkin ended the game in grand style, scoring the OT game-winner in Washington's come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Columbus. With Steven Stamkos out indefinitely after breaking his tibia, "Ovie" should coast toward winning the Maurice Richard Trophy for most goals in the season. He has replicated his '13 Hart Trophy form so far, collecting 14 goals and 24 points in 17 games. With the possible exception of Sidney Crosby, he is the elite fantasy forward to own. Anderson Or Lehner? Despite Robin Lehner leading the Ottawa Senators to four straight wins and capturing Player Of The Week honors, Craig Anderson was back in the net to face the Philadelphia Flyers. The results were less favorable to say the least, as he gave up 5 goals on 31 shots in the 5-0 blowout loss. Anderson is 4-5-0 on the season with a 3.30 GAA and .906 SP. Meanwhile, Lehner posted a 3-0 record last week with a 1.33 GAA and .958 SP. The youngster has allowed two or fewer goals in six of eight starts, so he has been the far better option in goal for the Sens thus far. Anderson owners need to snag Lehner ASAP if he is still available, because he will make a strong play for the permanent starting job very soon- if not already. More Fantasy Game Notes: Ryan Miller was a world-beater in the crease last night for the Buffalo Sabres, turning away 43 of 45 shots in the Sabres 3-2 SO win over the Los Angeles Kings. Man, when he eventually gets traded...