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NHL

LA Kings put star G Jonathan Quick on injured reserve

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick deflects a shot on goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (The Associated Press)

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    Los Angeles Kings goalie Jeff Zatkoff (37) stops a shot against the San Jose Sharks during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016, in San Jose, Calif. San Jose won 2-1. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (The Associated Press)

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – The Los Angeles Kings placed Jonathan Quick on injured reserve Thursday after the star goalie got hurt in the first period of their season opener.

Quick incurred an unspecified lower-body injury during Los Angeles' opener at San Jose while making a fairly ordinary stretch to stop a scoring chance by Joe Pavelski. Quick was replaced by new backup Jeff Zatkoff for the final two periods of the Kings' 2-1 loss.

The Kings described Quick's absence as "week-to-week."

Los Angeles' home opener is Friday night against Philadelphia. The Kings didn't immediately make a corresponding move, but NHL veteran Peter Budaj is on the roster of the Kings' AHL affiliate in Ontario.

With Quick sidelined by a potentially serious injury, the Kings' 50th anniversary season has been thrown into turmoil after just one game. The unorthodox, athletic American goalie is exceptionally important to the Kings, playing in 140 of their 162 regular-season games over the past two seasons.

Quick has backstopped the Kings to two Stanley Cup titles and won the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP. He won the Jennings Trophy in 2014, and was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2012 and again last season.

Quick also is a two-time U.S. Olympian who played at the World Cup of Hockey last month, although he claimed that his early start to the season didn't affect his preparations for the Kings.

Zatkoff was a third-round draft pick by the Kings in 2006, and he spent four seasons in their minor-league system without ever cracking the NHL lineup. He signed with Pittsburgh in 2012, and he won a Stanley Cup ring last summer after starting two playoff games for the Penguins on the way to the title.

Zatkoff, the former college roommate of Kings defenseman Alec Martinez, re-signed with Los Angeles in July, and he won a training camp competition with Budaj and Jack Campbell for the backup job behind Quick. Budaj, a Slovak veteran who spent nine NHL seasons with Colorado and Montreal, and Campbell are both with the Ontario Reign.

The Kings' backup goalies have excelled in recent years, at least partly due to coach Darryl Sutter's mandates for puck possession-based hockey, tight checking and sturdy defensive play by every skater.

Martin Jones matched an NHL record by winning his first eight NHL starts in late 2013 while Quick was sidelined for seven weeks with a serious groin strain. Jones won a Stanley Cup ring as Quick's backup later that season before moving to the Sharks last season and reaching the Stanley Cup Final again.