Jonathan Quick injury update: Kings goalie out until March

As the Los Angeles Kings look to stay in the Western Conference playoff race, they’ll have to so without Jonathan Quick for a bit longer.

With 48 points (22-21-4 record) heading into Tuesday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils, the Los Angeles Kings are three points out of a wild card spot in the Western Conference right now.

That place in the standings is a moral victory considering two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Jonathan Quick has been out most of the season. Quick was originally expected to miss three months with a groin injury, but the timetable was pushed back with March pointed to as a possible worst case scenario.

Well, that worst case is apparently happening.

According to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider, Kings’ general manager Dean Lombardi said the earliest Quick is likely to return is early March. The 2012 Conn Smythe Award winner has not resumed skating in any capacity, and he will have to face shots in a more structured setting before he’s cleared to return to game action.

Quick was injured in the Kings’ season opener on Oct. 12, and obviously has not played since. In his place, Peter Budaj (40 games 38 starts, 20-14-3 record) and Jeff Zatkoff (12 games, 8 starts, 2-7-1 record) have done most of the work between the pipes, as Kings’ goaltenders have combined for a 2.28 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage and four shutouts (all by Budaj) so far this season. For comparison sake, Quick posted a 2.22 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage with five shutouts over 68 games during the 2015-16 season.

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The Kings have made deep playoff runs before, with 46 total playoff games during Stanley Cup runs in 2012 and 2014, so simply getting into the tournament will make them a tough out for the rest of the Western Conference. Barring any setbacks, Quick will be back in goal just in time to give Darryl Sutter’s crew a playoff push.