2012 NHL Playoffs: If Los Angeles Wants the Upset, Jonathan Quick Must Be Huge

For the Los Angeles Kings, the 2011-12 season was nothing short of a roller coaster.

So much hype surrounded the Kings after they acquired Mike Richards from Philadelphia, and Jonathan Quick had already established himself as one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL.

Then, the regular season started, and after the calendar turned from October to November, L.A. seemed to forget how to score goals. It eventually cost Terry Murray his job when the Kings were still playing .500 hockey.

After a coaching change and a few transactions, the Kings hit their stride during the second half of the season, and Quick remained stellar throughout.

The Kings recorded at least one point in 14 of their last 18 games, and although they blew leads in consecutive games against San Jose, Quick was the catalyst for the Kings all season long.

Los Angeles finished the regular season next to last in goals scored and still nearly won the Pacific Division. Quick led the league with 10 shutouts and a goals against average of 1.96.

Not to mention the fact that the Kings lost six games, 1-0.

Now, the time has come for L.A. to help out their star goalie. In hockey, you are only as good as your goaltender and in this case, Quick was no exception to the rule. After nearly single-handedly leading the Kings to the postseason, Quick will look to shine on the stage he hasn't exactly set on fire: the playoffs.

A date with the Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks awaits, a first-round rematch of two years ago, when the Canucks ousted the Kings in six games.

As history has shown, the teams that succeed in the playoffs are those that finished the regular season on a hot streak, not necessarily those that were high in the standings. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, Vancouver had both.

The Canucks finished the regular season with a league-leading 111 points and won eight of their final nine games, heading into the playoffs with redemption on their mind.

This series, in my opinion, features the most intriguing goaltending matchup of the entire postseason. Although some could make an argument for Ilya Bryzgalov against Marc-Andre Fleury in the Penguins-Flyers series, the Vancouver-Los Angeles series is showcased by three outstanding goalies.

Based on his history in the postseason, if Roberto Luongo allows a single goal, fans will be calling for his head. In that instance, Corey Schneider will come in with his solid 20 wins along with his 1.96 goals against average.

Bottom line: It's all about goaltending.

If Los Angeles has any chance of winning this series, they must put the puck in the back of the net. The Kings are used to playing in tight, low-scoring games this season. This will be Quick's third consecutive season in the playoffs, so I expect him to be at the top of his game.

If Jeff Carter is able to play, and Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown can provide the first line offense that was absent the first half of the season, then the Kings have a shot at the upset.

But at the end of the day, Quick will have the final say in the matter.