Quick lost his final three starts of the regular season, but overall it was a good season. He won 27 games with a 2.07 GAA, .915 SV% and six shutouts. He won each of his starts vs. the Sharks this season, while posting a 1.47 GAA and .930 SV%. Heading into game 1, you have to give the goaltending edge to the Kings.

LOS ANGELES vs. SAN JOSE Must-Starts Los Angeles: Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Justin Williams, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick San Jose: Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Dan Boyle, Antti Niemi Sleepers Los Angeles: Dustin Brown, Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez, Slava Voynov San Jose: Martin Havlat, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, Matt Nieto, Jason Demers Notes: LA took the season series 3 games to 2 but Kings' starter Jonathan Quick only played in one of those matches, posting a 1-0 shutout on January 27th. This series could very well come down to which Stanley Cup winning goaltender can outplay the other.  The Sharks have been waiting for Antti Niemi to lead them to the Promised Land ever since they signed him after he won the Cup with Chicago in 2010.  They have been waiting for Joe Thornton to bring them as well.  The one thing going for the Kings is that they have been down this road before and know what it takes to bring home the coveted chalice. The Kings main cog on offense is Anze Kopitar. Kopitar doesn't get enough recognition being that he plays on the West Coast, but this guy can play.  He usually lines up with Justin Williams, another unsung player but is crucial to the Kings success.  He has two Cups under his belt, the other with the Hurricanes.  Marian Gaborik was brought in a the trade deadline and is the sniper the Kings have been looking for all along as they wait for Tyler Toffoli to develop.  Mike Richards and Jeff Carter have displayed chemistry together since their days in Philly, so look for them to supply secondary scoring.  Can Dustin Brown repeat his playoff surge like he did when they won the Cup?  Brown could be a major factor once again. The Kings possess a plethora of offensive talent on the blue line starting with Drew Doughty. Doughty didn't reach the 40-point plateau for a defenseman, but along with Slava Voynov, they possess a dynamic duo at the points.  Alec Martinez displayed some offense towards the end of the regular season and with Jake Muzzin, should contribute to the score sheet as well.  Willie Mitchell and Robyn Regher supply the support in front of goaltender Jonathan Quick.  Quick won the Conn Smythe trophy in 2011-2012 with a 1.41 GAA and a .946 SP, outstanding numbers indeed.  It will be difficult to repeat that kind of performance, but anything close and the Kings will be back on top once again. The San Jose Sharks seem to be built for the long playoff run but ...

LOS ANGELES vs. SAN JOSE Must-Starts Los Angeles: Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, Justin Williams, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick San Jose: Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Dan Boyle, Antti Niemi Sleepers Los Angeles: Dustin Brown, Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez, Slava Voynov San Jose: Martin Havlat, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, Matt Nieto, Jason Demers Notes: LA took the season series 3 games to 2 but Kings' starter Jonathan Quick only played in one of those matches, posting a 1-0 shutout on January 27th. This series could very well come down to which Stanley Cup winning goaltender can outplay the other.  The Sharks have been waiting for Antti Niemi to lead them to the Promised Land ever since they signed him after he won the Cup with Chicago in 2010.  They have been waiting for Joe Thornton to bring them as well.  The one thing going for the Kings is that they have been down this road before and know what it takes to bring home the coveted chalice. The Kings main cog on offense is Anze Kopitar. Kopitar doesn't get enough recognition being that he plays on the West Coast, but this guy can play.  He usually lines up with Justin Williams, another unsung player but is crucial to the Kings success.  He has two Cups under his belt, the other with the Hurricanes.  Marian Gaborik was brought in a the trade deadline and is the sniper the Kings have been looking for all along as they wait for Tyler Toffoli to develop.  Mike Richards and Jeff Carter have displayed chemistry together since their days in Philly, so look for them to supply secondary scoring.  Can Dustin Brown repeat his playoff surge like he did when they won the Cup?  Brown could be a major factor once again. The Kings possess a plethora of offensive talent on the blue line starting with Drew Doughty. Doughty didn't reach the 40-point plateau for a defenseman, but along with Slava Voynov, they possess a dynamic duo at the points.  Alec Martinez displayed some offense towards the end of the regular season and with Jake Muzzin, should contribute to the score sheet as well.  Willie Mitchell and Robyn Regher supply the support in front of goaltender Jonathan Quick.  Quick won the Conn Smythe trophy in 2011-2012 with a 1.41 GAA and a .946 SP, outstanding numbers indeed.  It will be difficult to repeat that kind of performance, but anything close and the Kings will be back on top once again. The San Jose Sharks seem to be built for the long playoff run but ...

Quick allowed three goals on 18 shots in Wednesday's loss to the Flames. He was given Thursday night off, but it appears he will get the start in the Kings' season finale. Quick has gone 0-2-0 with a 2.03 GAA and .902 SV% against the Ducks this season.

Quick allowed two goals on 40 shots in a loss to the Canucks. Quick has won six of 10 games with a 2.08 GAA and .920 SV%. He will likely be going for his 28th win of the year. He has gone 1-1-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .940 SV% vs. the Flames this season.

Quick allowed two goals on 40 shots in a loss to the Canucks. Quick has won six of 10 games with a 2.08 GAA and .920 SV%. He will likely be going for his 28th win of the year. He has gone 1-1-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .940 SV% vs. the Flames this season.

ALL GOALIES ARE CONFIRMED UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED AT TIME OF PRINT The season is winding down as there are just a handful of days left. Peter Budaj gets the start in net for the Montreal Canadiens as they face off against Corey Crawford and the Chicago Blackhawks. Carey Price gets the night off but will start the last 2 games of the regular season for the Habs.  Montreal is trying to lock down home ice advantage in their first round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning while Chicago looks to be ensconced in 5th place overall. The hawks are pretty banged up but have shown the same grit without their superstars in the lineup.  Crawford on home ice against the backup Budaj.... Jonas Gustavsson gets the nod in the back end of back-to-back nights and will be facing the Pittsburgh Penguins who will go with Marc-Andre Fleury in net. The Red Wings have won 5 of their last 6 and need just 1 point to clinch a playoff position.  Pittsburgh, like the Blackhawks, is pretty banged up and is just 5-5-0 in last 10 games.  Detroit is looking like a tough playoff opponent with the way they have been playing lately.  Momentum means a lot; go with the Wings.... The surging Columbus Blue Jackets will play their makeup game against Dallas tonight. If you remember, Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench during the first period of a 1-0 game between these two clubs and the game was postponed.  They will play the game tonight with a full 60 minutes, but with the Blue Jackets already winning 1-0, allowing that goal to still count but the league deciding to play a full game.  Sergei Bobrovsky (LIKELY) has been brilliant during the stretch and so has Kari Lehtonen (LIKELY). Columbus has won 3 of their last 4 and hope to get closer to clinching a playoff spot but have 3 road games remaining. The Stars are in the same situation and don't want their entire season to come down to Sunday's match against Phoenix, the club they are battling for the last playoff spot in the West.... Los Angeles heads to Calgary to take on the red-hot Karri Ramo and the Flames, who are coming off a 1-0 blanking of the New Jersey Devils. Jonathan Quick (LIKELY) will probably get the start tonight and Martin Jones the start tomorrow against the Edmonton Oilers. With three wins in a row and only 2 goals against during that stretch, it may be a good thing for the West that Calgary did not qualify for the playoffs this season.  When you're hot, you're hot! And when you're hot and your team name is the Flames, ...

My first thought this morning as I glanced through my notes was how crazy it would be for fantasy owners to contemplate sitting Jarome Iginla for the upcoming final week, given that he has been arguably the "hottest" fantasy forward to own after the Olympic Break. However, the 36-year old has been rested twice this past week as he mends from minor bumps and bruises, reinforcing the notion that teams that have already secured playoff spots will rest their crucial veterans down the stretch. It's an imperfect science predicting which and how many games they will miss or play even, but it needs to be taken into account when forming starting rosters for the final stretch run. Loui Eriksson, who collected four assists in Boston's 5-2 win over Philadelphia, took over Iginla's spot on the top line and looked just as dominant. He looks to be the most coveted potential waiver-wire grab as it's possible Iginla could be rested for at least 1 or 2 games over the final four. Young Swedish sensation Carl Soderberg should also be in for more quality minutes in the case of key Boston forwards being rested. The rookie has quietly put together a solid season, amassing 18 points in the last 21 games. I like him as a decent 4th or 5th forward starting option next week. Well, what to do in Detroit where their best player Pavel Datsyuk has been back for two games after a lengthy absence due to injury? The Russian vet scored a power-play goal in the 5-3 loss to Montreal, but you know Coach Babcock will be careful with him if Detroit secures a playoff spot early in the week. His presence in the line-up also re-energized winger Johan Franzen, who responded with 2 power-play assists and now has five points in his last 6 games. However, you know the "Mule" has endured his share of injuries during his career and would be a prime candidate to sit a game or two to ensure a healthy playoff run. In other words, fantasy owners should ride the Detroit young guns, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, down the stretch as they should be in line for expanded minutes. Yes, you heard it here first.. start Ilya Bryzgalov of the Minnesota Wild for the final week. Coming off last night's 4-0 shutout win over the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins, the goaltender has started four straight for the Wild, winning three of the games while allowing just 5 goals over that span. Playing for the defensive-minded, and probable playoff-bound, Minny team has done wonders for the "Mad Russian's" confidence, so look fo him...

My first thought this morning as I glanced through my notes was how crazy it would be for fantasy owners to contemplate sitting Jarome Iginla for the final upcoming week, given that he has been arguably the "hottest" fantasy forward to own after the Olympic Break. However, the 36-year old has been rested twice this past week as he mends from minor bumps and bruises, reinforcing the notion that teams having secured playoff spots will rest their crucial veterans down the stretch. It's an imperfect science predicting which and how many games they will miss, but it needs to be taken into account when forming startin rosters for the final stretch run. Loui Eriksson, who collected four assists in Boston's 5-2 win over Philadelphia, took over Iginla's spot on the top line and looked just as dominant. He looks to be the most coveted potential waiver-wire grab as it's possible Iginla could be rested for at least 1 or 2 games over the final four. Young Swedish sensation Carl Soderberg should also be in more quality minutes in the case of key Boston forwards being rested. The rookie has quietly put together a solid season, amassing 18 points in the last 21 games. I like him as a decent 4th or 5th forward starting option next week. Well, what about in Detroit where their best player Pavel Datsyuk has been back for two games after a lengthy absence due to injury? The Russian vet scored a power-play goal in the 5-3 loss to Montreal, but you know coach Babcock will be careful with him if Detroit secures a playoff spot early in the week. His presence in the line-up also re-energized winger Johan Franzen, who responded with 2 power-play assists and now has five points in his last 6 games. However, you know the "Mule" has endured his share of injuries and would be a prime candidate to sit a game or two to ensure a healthy playoff run. In other words, fantasy owners should ride the Detroit young guns, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, down the stretch as they should be in line for expanded minutes. Yes, you heard it here first.. start Ilya Bryzgalov of the Minnesota Wild for the final week. Coming off last night's 4-0 shutout win over the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins, the goaltender has started four straight for the Wild, winning three of the games while allowing just 5 goals over that span. Playing for the defensive-minded and probable playoff-bound Minny team has done wonders for the "Mad Russian's" confidence, so look fo him to continue his "hot" play in the crease. Darcy ...

Quick stopped all 17 shots that he faced in a 4-0 win over the Coyotes on Wednesday. He was given Thursday night off, but the Kings come back to him tonight in Vancouver. Quick has dominated the Canucks this season, going 3-0 with 0.67 GAA and .976 SV% vs. them this season.