LOS ANGELES (AP) – Rarely does a staff go into the Stanley Cup playoffs with a pair of goaltenders who weren’t on the opening evening roster.
It’s the place the Los Angeles Kings discover themselves as they put together to face the Edmonton Oilers within the opening spherical for the second straight season.
As unsettling as that sounds, Joonas Korpisalo and Pheonix Copley have been strong over the previous six weeks.
Copley has been the staff’s prime goalie since early December, when he was known as up because of the early-season struggles of Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen. And Korpisalo is 7-3-1 since being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 28.
The Kings even have the second-lowest goals-against common within the league since March 1 at 2.20.
“To see both of them enter our team and have permanent stays for different reasons has been pretty rewarding,” coach Todd McLellan stated, “It has been an extremely odd year to start the year with two goalies that we thought we were going to run with until this time of the year and end up with two different ones. It doesn’t happen often, and if it does, it’s usually due to injury.”
PHOTOS: Kings head into playoffs with stellar goalie tandem
Whoever will get the beginning, it would mark the primary time since 2002 that it gained’t be Quick, who was in internet for 92 consecutive postseason video games and led the franchise to each of their Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014.
Quick was traded to Columbus for Korpisalo, defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and a pair of draft picks. Quick was then subsequently dealt to Vegas.
McLellan hasn’t stated who will likely be his major goalie, however it’s more likely to be Korpisalo. The 28-year outdated from Finland had two shutouts for the Blue Jackets through the 2020 playoffs and was 3-5 with a 1.90 GAA. He holds the NHL report for saves in a playoff recreation with 85 in a 3-2 5 additional time loss to Tampa Bay through the first recreation of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Korpisalo was additionally with the Blue Jackets in 2019 as a backup after they upset the Lightning within the first spherical and confronted Boston within the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Korpisalo’s fast adjustment to Los Angeles additionally helped ease tensions in a locker room that wasn’t pleased with how Quick was traded. The transfer occurred throughout a Kings’ recreation in Winnipeg and basic manger Rob Blake was unable to inform Quick or staff leaders till after phrase began to flow into.
“Korpisalo and Gavrikov coming together I think was a benefit to those two. They supported each other and the team opened up their arms after an emotional day or two and welcomed them quickly,” McLellan stated.
Korpisalo stated it has been straightforward for him to settle in with the Kings. He is 2-1 this season towards the Oilers, however each wins got here with Columbus.
“I just try to go out there and play with instinct,” he stated. “But meantime, you have to know who the dangerous guys are as well as the handedness of every guy. It’s all part of the scene.”
Copley went 24-6-3 in 36 video games. His wins since his debut are tied for sixth within the league however his .903 save proportion was twenty eighth. He has 68 NHL video games underneath his belt, however none within the playoffs. And Copley cut up his two conferences towards the Oilers this season.
Copley stated he isn’t making an attempt to get caught up in all of the hoopla of his breakthrough season – neither is he worrying about who will get the beginning.
“I’m just enjoying it. It’s a good group to be a part of,” he stated. “I’ve just tried to do my best to help this team on a daily basis. And then, you know, when I’m in the games just play my game.”
Both goalies are more likely to see time through the sequence because the Kings attempt to advance past on the primary spherical for the primary time since their final Stanley Cup title in 2014.
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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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