The LA Kings Goalie Controversy No One Saw Coming
Upon his arrival in Hollywood, Korpisalo began his career in LA on a three-game win streak, eventually losing to the Vancouver Canucks on Mar. 18. Although he rebounded with a solid win over the Winnipeg Jets a week later, he’s struggled to collect wins since that night, dropping contests to the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and Vegas Golden Knights.
Furthermore, everyone knows the Kings have not been the same since a handful of key players like Mikey Anderson, Gabriel Vilardi, Kevin Fiala, and Alex Edler have sustained various injuries changing the team dynamics. Nevertheless, Korpisalo is still responsible for stopping pucks, and he should be used to subpar performances from the team in front of him after years in Columbus.
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However, with vital playoff positioning on the line in the finals weeks, the newly acquired Finnish netminder has continued to make saves but has been unable to bail out a team that has witnessed their offensive production come to a stretching halt. Until the recent debacle against the Golden Knights (five goals against), Korpisalo had not surrendered more than two goals in a single game, which is the definition of playoff hockey.
During the NHL’s second season, teams don’t win games 8-7 or 4-1; these games are always closer, and preventing a team from scoring more than a couple of goals is one sure way to guarantee success in the playoffs.
In his last four games, Korpisalo’s record is 1-3-0 with a 4.00 GAA and .908 SV%. As much as people want to blame the team in front of him, it is still his responsibility to prevent pucks from going in.
Although the most diehard Kings fans still have a hard time imagining Quick playing for any other franchise, most overlook the fact that management decided to move in a different direction and hand the club’s future over to Copley, who has not disappointed. Of course, there are arguments that he’s incapable of the job with a .903 SV% in his career; however, his record speaks otherwise, with just 14 losses in 67 games.
Moreover, he’s won 59% of his NHL games thanks to a 40-14-6 record with the St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, and now LA Kings, where he boosts a 66% win rate this season. Surprisingly, that’s a higher percentage than Korpisalo, who came to town with a 42% career-winning percentage, and Petersen (43%), who has been relegated to the minors.
Conversely, it should be pointed out that Quick’s win percentage with the Kings is 49%, which means he won roughly half his games over a 16-year career that resulted in two Stanley Cup titles.
Now, no one is saying that Copley is ever going to accomplish the achievements that Quick did during his Hall of Fame career; these numbers showcase that a guy like Copley, when given a chance, has found success wherever he goes, which allowed general manager Rob Blake to bank on his ability to win games.
Most teams would love a guy like Copley with a 24-5-3 record in 36 games, despite the less-than-stellar SV% and GAA numbers. Although he would not be considered an elite netminder in the NHL, the Alaskan native sure has a chance to prove many people wrong by guiding the Kings to a deep playoff run.
As pointed out earlier, Korpisalo has hit a bump in the road during his last four starts, while Copley has been almost unbeatable since the trade deadline with a 6-1-1 record, a stellar 1.88 GAA, and a .924 SV%. Even though head coach Todd McLellan has opted to keep a rotation with his goalies, he’ll eventually have to pick a starter in the Kings’ opening-round series, which would be against the Golden Knights, Oilers, or, absolute worse case, a top team from the Central Division.
Although no one wants to talk about it, the team needs to start Korpisalo because that’s why they traded for him in the first place. However, based on numbers and performances, it would make sense to start Copley, who has no playoff experience on his resume but boosts something his partner does not, winning records against potential playoff opponents.
Currently, Copley is undefeated against Vegas with a 2-0-0 record and is 2-2-0 against the Oilers with a combined 1.57 GAA and .940 SV%. Moreover, Korpisalo is 3-5-0 in 11 games against Edmonton and 1-2-0 when facing the Golden Knights, with a 2.71 GAA and .893 SV% between the two clubs.
Realistically, no one predicted a goalie controversy, especially in the season’s final days with playoff positioning on the line. Unfortunately, no matter how good these two netminders play in the last three days, their work will factor into deciding who gets to start on the opening night of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Sadly, the answer won’t be simple, and there will be cheers and jeers on both sides, yet McLellan has to go with the best option, even if it ruffles the fan base’s feathers because, in the end, it is all about winning.
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