Jonathan Quick is no stranger to massive turnarounds with Rangers in need of one
Even after the Rangers snapped their four-game losing streak with a win over the Bruins on Thursday night, the hole they have to climb out of to get back into the playoff picture is no joke. But if the Blushirts were looking for a reason to remain optimistic that their wayward 2024-25 season can turn around, all they have to do is look toward one of their own for hope.Current goaltender Jonathan Quick had been part of the 2012 Stanley Cup champion Kings squad that used a miraculous final month-and-a-half run to sneak into the playoffs before capturing the Cup as an eighth seed. “It’s definitely something you can believe in,” defenseman Braden Schneider told The Post after practice Friday.
“To know that he’s been there and done that and taken it all the way is massive.I think every guy in this room still believes in what we’re doing and the group that we have. “For sure, to have a guy that’s been there and done that is a huge motivator as well.” The Rangers still have more than half the season to go and still could find a way to pull themselves out from the Metro basement, but that is far from an easy task, especially with games against two of the division’s best teams over their next four contests. Nevertheless, Quick’s experience does lend itself to some hope, considering where the Kings found themselves in 2012.
Los Angeles had been 10th in the Western Conference and was two spots out of a playoff spot with a month to go. The Kings managed to go 12–4–3 through the final 19 games of the regular season to make their way into the playoffs, with their stagnant offense finally getting hot while Quick and the defense remained a point of pride for LA. The Rangers are five points back of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference heading into Saturday’s game against the Capitals, and Quick now will play a big role in keeping the Blueshirts afloat as he takes over a bulk of the workload in net with Igor Shesterkin currently on i...