EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — To say Cam Talbot's season has been a curler coaster can be an understatement.
The Los Angeles Kings, nonetheless, hope their veteran netminder is on the rise forward of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“My sport is the place I prefer it, however there's at all times room for enchancment.” Talbot mentioned. “Each time we’ve a apply day, which is commonly, I attempt to reap the benefits of it.”
Talbot signed a one-year cope with the Kings in the course of the offseason, his fourth staff in 5 seasons. He performed in 54 video games and began 52, marking the fourth time in his 12-year profession and the primary since 2018 that he began a minimum of 50 video games. He posted a document of 27-20-6.
Amongst goaltenders with a minimum of 50 video games, Talbot is fifth with a 2.50 goals-against common and a .913 save proportion.
The general numbers are good, however Talbot has been inconsistent. He completed the common season with 4 wins in his final six begins, however allowed 4 objectives on 13 pictures in Thursday evening's 5-Four time beyond regulation win in opposition to Chicago. With the win, the Kings moved again into third place within the Pacific Division and drew a first-round sport in opposition to the Edmonton Oilers.
When the collection opens Monday in Edmonton, it’ll mark the third straight season the Oilers and Kings have met within the first spherical.
Talbot was top-of-the-line goaltenders within the league from the beginning of the season till the Christmas break. He was 14-6-2 and second within the league with a 2.06 GAA earlier than going by means of a stretch the place he was winless in 10 straight begins.
The midseason droop, when the Kings went Three-Eight-6 earlier than the All-Star break, led to Todd McLellan being fired as coach and Jim Hiller taking up. Hiller performed at Northern Michigan College within the early 1990s, together with on the Wildcats' 1991 nationwide championship staff.
Though Talbot wasn't pleased with the skid — the place he went Zero-7-Three and had a Three.86 GAA — he noticed some issues that didn't trigger an total drop in his confidence.
“Don't neglect find out how to play a place. The primary 4 or 5 video games we allowed two objectives or much less. If we had put the puck within the internet the way in which we at the moment are, that will have led to some extra wins.” he mentioned. “So that you simply attempt to do not forget that you're right here for a motive and the way in which this season began wasn't a fluke.”
Hiller mentioned the largest enchancment he noticed from Talbot after the All-Star break was making the primary save and never permitting many rebound alternatives.
“As a coach, you may overanalyze the place. What we've seen is that he controls rebounds, and when he doesn't, our defensemen do an excellent job of boxing out.” Hiller mentioned.
Los Angeles is seeking to win its first playoff collection since successful its second Stanley Cup in three years in 2014. It entered final yr's collection in opposition to the Oilers with unproven playoff gamers in Joonas Korpisalo and Pheonix Copley.
Talbot and backup David Rittich have playoff expertise, whereas Korpisalo had only one playoff run on his resume earlier than final yr.
Los Angeles is an underdog within the upcoming collection after Edmonton gained six video games final yr and 7 in 2022.
“The largest query is whether or not Talbot and Rittich made it a routine to avoid wasting 100 % of the sport after which the spectacular ones. The decrease the rating, the higher LA would love it. That's the place they thrive and I believe that's the place they're going to frustrate you.” TNT analyst Ed Olczyk mentioned.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl