Kings exit interviews: Jhonas Enroth

Kings goaltender Jhonas Enroth appeared in only 16 games this season while serving as Jonathan Quick’s infrequent backup. Enroth said Sunday it wasn’t the workload he envisioned when he signed with the Kings last summer as a free agent. He didn’t rule out re-signing with the Kings for next season, but you can read between the lines here, with more of Enroth’s conversation with reporters Sunday:

“I wish I had played more games. I didn’t really feel like they gave me a lot of opportunities to play. That’s the way they like to do it here, so I kind of knew what I was signing up for. … Just be a bigger part of a team, trying to play more games. Just being a bigger part of a team is what I’d like to do (as a free agent) over the summer.

“I really thought they were going to play me more. If you sign a guy for $1.2 million, you’re not going to play him 13 games, in my opinion. You should play him, 20-25. I thought I earned more games. Played pretty solid in the games I got, but there were a lot of breaks between games, too. It was hard to get a groove going. I think I had a pretty solid season.”

Game 5 report: Sharks 6, Kings 3

Key play: Joonas Donskoi scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period and the San Jose Sharks went on to take a 6-3 victory Friday over the Kings in the decisive Game 5 of the first-round series at Staples Center. Donskoi chipped the puck into the net after a nifty pass from Brent Burns.

The series: The Sharks eliminated the Kings 4-1 and advanced to the second round.

Pivotal performer: Sharks winger Joe Pavelski added an insurance goal for his series-leading fifth of the series. Pavelski and linemates Joe Thornton and Tomas Hertl proved to be too much for the Kings to handle during the series, and were the difference makers over the course of five games.

Quote, unquote: “The bottom line is we didn’t play well enough to win the series, and they did,” Kings center Anze Kopitar said. “It showed on the scoreboard. We were chasing the lead pretty much every game. That’s just not the way you play in the playoffs. We made it hard on ourselves, first of all, to lose the first two games in this building. I just feel our game was not where we needed it to be.”

Quote, unquote (part 2): “Yes, 100 percent,” Kings left wing Milan Lucic said when asked if he planned to re-sign with the Kings rather than test the open market as an unrestricted free agent July 1. “I don’t have any plans about thinking about or playing anywhere else. I’m sure there will be a lot of conversations in the near future and I hope it works out for both sides.”

Between the pipes: Jonathan Quick made 22 saves and fell 1-4 during the series. Martin Jones, who served as Quick’s backup until the Kings traded him last summer, made 19 saves to improve to 4-1 in his first five starts in the playoffs after making two relief appearances in 2014 against the Sharks.

Game 4 report: Sharks 3, Kings 2

Key play: Patrick Marleau scored the last of the Sharks’ three power-play goals and San Jose held on for a 3-2 victory Wednesday in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Kings at the SAP Center. Marleau backhanded a rebound into the net at 1:40 of the final period.

The series: The Sharks lead 3-1. Game 5 is Friday at Staples Center.

Pivotal performer: San Jose defenseman Brent Burns scored the Sharks’ first power-play goal, whistling a one-timed shot from the left faceoff circle past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. Burns also assists on Marleau’s goal, which turned out to be the game-winner.

Quote, unquote: “Our penalty-kill wasn’t near good enough,” said Kings defenseman Luke Schenn, who was on the ice for Burns’ goal “Special teams made a huge difference. Our special teams need to improve if we’re going to climb back in it.”

Status quo: Kings coach Darryl Sutter and San Jose counterpart Peter DeBoer stayed with the same lineups for Game 4 that they used in Game 3. DeBoer indicated dissatisfaction with his fourth line after Game 3, but stuck with Nick Spaling, Chris Tierney and Tommy Wingels for Game 4.

Game 3 report: Kings 2, Sharks 1 (OT)

Key play: Tanner Pearson picked up a loose puck along the left-wing boards and then converted on a 2-on-1 break to score the winning goal 3:47 into sudden-death overtime to give the Kings a 2-1 victory Monday over the San Jose Sharks in Game 3 of their first-round series.

The series: The Sharks lead was cut to 2-1. Game 4 is Wednesday at the SAP Center.

Pivotal performer: Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick gave up a goal to Joe Thornton on the Sharks’ first shot of the game, after only 30 seconds. Quick then stopped the next 28 shots he faced in a vintage performance from the 2012 Conn Smythe winner as the MVP of the playoffs.

Quote, unquote: “Not the start we wanted, obviously,” Pearson said. “We trust each other that we’re going to come back. Look over the years at what this team has done. … It’s a confident group when our backs are against the wall. We’re still there. We’ve got to fight back to even the series.”

Injury update: Kings defenseman Alec Martinez sat out for the second consecutive game and for the sixth time in the last seven games because of an undisclosed injury. Defenseman Matt Greene continues to skate with his teammates, but there’s no timetable for his return from shoulder surgery.

Lineup shuffle: Kings coach Darryl Sutter returned left wing Kyle Clifford to the lineup after replacing him with Nick Shore for Game 2. Clifford, Trevor Lewis and Kris Versteeg combined to form an effective fourth line for Sutter for Game 3.

Game 1 report: Sharks 4, Kings 3

Key play: Joe Pavelski outhustled and outmuscled Anze Kopitar as he swept around the Kings’ net to score the tiebreaking goal 17 seconds into the third period and the San Jose Sharks took a 4-3 victory in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Thursday at Staples Center.

Pivotal performer: Pavelski scored two goals and was impossible for the Kings to contain in both teams return to the postseason after a one-season absence. He had three shots on net and was credited with three that missed the mark in 19:16 of ice time.

Quote, unquote: “You can’t give them too much momentum,” Kopitar said of the Sharks. “We have to do a better job of staying out of the box and that our mistakes don’t result in goals. (The Kings must) limit their time and space (and) make sure we check them correctly. At the same time, make them defend too. We didn’t do a good enough job. We have to correct that.”

Injury update: Kings defenseman Alec Martinez returned to the lineup after suffering an undisclosed injury that sidelined him for the final four regular-season games. Martinez was scoreless in 11:43 in Game 1, and did not play in the third period.

Between the pipes: Jonathan Quick started for the Kings, as expected, and made 19 saves in his 77th career playoff start. Martin Jones, Quick’s backup before the Kings traded him last spring, had 21 saves in his first start in the playoffs.

LA Kings goalie Jonathan Quick talks about the Jennings Trophy and a 40-win season

"Kings#32 Jonathan Quick and Kings#27 Alec Martinez stop a shot by Bruins#25 Matt Fraser in the 2nd period. The Los Angeles Kings played the Boston Bruins in a regular season NHL game. Los Angeles, CA. December 2, 2014. (Photo by John McCoy Daily News)"

Tomorrow’s story tonight …

Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick broke his own franchise record with his 40th victory of the season on Thursday, a grinding 2-1 win over the Ducks. He can’t catch league leader Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals, who needs one to tie the NHL record of 48 wins in a season.

Quick said he would be pulling for Holtby, though.

It’s one of those goaltenders’ union sorts of deals.

There’s also the fact that the Kings might need the Capitals to defeat the Ducks on Sunday in Washington in order to clinch the Pacific Division championship. The Kings can sew up their first division title since 1990-91 with a win Saturday over the Winnipeg Jets in their regular-season finale.

“That’s almost a month worth of wins,” Quick said of the difference between his 40-23-4 mark compared to Holtby’s 47-9-7 record. “It’s impressive that he’s in the mix for that. Sunday night, we’re for sure pulling for him. Just to be in that mix and what he’s already accomplished is incredible.”

In addition, Quick and the Kings are in the running for the Jennings Trophy as the team with the fewest goals given up. The Kings (191 goals) are third behind the Ducks (189) and the Capitals (190) with one game to play. The Ducks and Capitals had two to go.

Quick isn’t one to talk about individual accomplishments or personal performances, but a handful of reporters caught him in a chatty mood Friday at the Kings’ El Segundo training facility. He said winning the Jennings would be meaningful because his teammates aided him so much this season.

“When you have a good team in front of you, it helps you out a real lot,” he said. “There have been quite a few games this year when I didn’t feel on my game and had the luxury of seeing only 15 or 20 shots. That goes a long way over the course of a year. Guys battle and compete and it makes you want to compete a little harder. When you have everyone doing that it helps the win total.”

Defense is always a Kings priority under coach Darryl Sutter and this season is no exception.

“It started with coaches making us take pride in it and making us realize we win our games when we play really well defensively and give up less chances and less goals,” Quick said. “I think the past five, six years, the Cup winners have been in the (Jennings) mix every year.

“You’ve got to be able to win low-scoring games. If you’ve grown accustomed to that, it helps a lot. Something we’ve been trying to focus on is blocking shots and penalty kill and stuff like that. The guys have done a great job. It’s something we’ve grown to expect from each other. It’s certainly one of the staples in our game when we’re playing well.”

Game report: Kings 2, Ducks 1

Key play: Kris Versteeg tapped in a rebound of his own shot off the crossbar for the tiebreaking goal 2:01 into the second period and the Kings regained first place in the Pacific Division with a 2-1 victory Thursday over the Ducks at Staples Center.

Playoff update: The Kings can win their first division championship since 1990-91 with a victory Saturday over the Winnipeg Jets in their regular-season finale. The Ducks would then finish second. The San Jose Sharks’ 5-4 loss to Winnipeg locked them into third.

Pivotal performer: Ducks goaltender John Gibson made several quality saves, but none better than a stop with his left leg on an unmarked Anze Kopitar early in the third period. Kopitar slipped behind the Ducks’ defense, but couldn’t beat Gibson from point-blank range.

Between the pipes: Kings goalie Jonathan Quick made his 67th appearance of the season and set a franchise record with his 40th victory of 2015-16. Gibson started for the sixth consecutive game in place of the injured Frederik Andersen (concussion).

Quote, unquote: “We want to win without having to score four or five goals,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. “We want to win games only letting in one and we were able to do that tonight against a really good team that has kind of owned us this season. … That’s the only reason we beat them, because we played good defense.”

Kings injury update: Defenseman Alec Martinez sat out for the third game because of what the Kings referred to as an undisclosed injury. Martinez also didn’t play in a loss Monday to the Vancouver Canucks and a victory Tuesday over the Calgary Flames.

Ducks injury update: Andersen didn’t play for the fourth game because of a concussion suffered in a victory March 30 over the Calgary Flames. Andersen said he hopes to play in one of the Ducks’ final two regular-season games.

Game report: Kings 3, Flames 0

Key plays: Jeff Carter scored twice in the first 6 1 /2 minutes of the second period and the Kings reclaimed first place in the Pacific Division with a 3-0 victory Thursday over the Calgary Flames at Staples Center. Carter scored his 21st and 22nd goals of the season and later added an assist on Andy Andreoff’s third-period strike.

Playoff update: The Kings (46-26-5, 97 points) moved past the idle Ducks (43-23-10, 96 points) into first place in the Pacific. The Kings have five regular-season games remaining and the Ducks have six left, including a home date Friday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Quote, unquote: It’s going in the right direction,” Carter said of the Kings’ play heading down the home stretch. “We want to finish first. We want home ice. We’ve got five games left here. We know what we have to clean up and we’ll continue to work on it.”

Pivotal performer: Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick made 21 saves for his 39th victory of the season, tying his own franchise record for victories in a season. Quick (39-21-4) also extended his club record for shutouts with the 42nd of his career.

Chart climber: Drew Doughty’s assist on Carter’s power-play goal 46 seconds into the second period moved him past Steve Duchesne into second place on the Kings’ all-time list for defenseman with 316 points. Rob Blake hold the franchise record with 494 points.

LA Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick named the NHL’s second star of the week

"Kings#32 Jonathan Quick and Kings#27 Alec Martinez stop a shot by Bruins#25 Matt Fraser in the 2nd period. The Los Angeles Kings played the Boston Bruins in a regular season NHL game. Los Angeles, CA. December 2, 2014. (Photo by John McCoy Daily News)"

Jonathan Quick. (Photo by John McCoy Daily News)”

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick on Monday was named the NHL’s second star for the week ending Sunday. He was 3-0-0 with a 1.32 goals-against average, a .953 save percentage and one shutout. He was in net for the Kings’ 2-1 playoff-clinching victory Saturday over the Boston Bruins, their sixth postseason berth in seven seasons. His week began with a 5-0 victory March 14 over the Chicago Blackhawks, his 41st career shutout, the most by a U.S.-born goalie. He shared the record with Frank Brimsek and John Vanbiesbrouck. Quick has 37 victories this season, two shy of his career-high set in 2009-10.

Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins was the first star.

Sean Monahan of the Calgary Flames was the third star.

Game report: Kings 2, Bruins 1

Key play: Defenseman Alec Martinez’s goal early in the second period proved to be the game-winning score as the Kings held on for a 2-1 playoff-clinching victory Saturday over the Boston Bruins at Staples Center. The Kings returned to the postseason after a one-season absence.

Pivotal performance: Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick made several spectacular saves among the 27 shots he stopped to bail out his teammates. His best might have been a right toe save on the Bruins’ Brad Marchand in the first period to keep the game scoreless.

Between the pipes: Quick appeared in his 58th game of the season, with his career high of 72 still within reach. Tuukka Rask returned to the Bruins’ net after Jonas Gustavsson suffered the loss in a 4-0 defeat to the Ducks on Friday. Rask made 18 saves.

Quote, unquote: “A lot of credit goes to our first period, our goaltending and our penalty-killing,” Kings left wing Milan Lucic said. “That’s the goal of the season, to clinch a playoff spot as early as you can. Last year, falling just short, definitely gives you motivation. There are still 11 games and we want to finish as high up as we can in the standings.”

Dropping the gloves: The Kings’ Dwight King and the Bruins’ Adam McQuaid fought a lengthy battle in the first period, with King sending McQuaid’s helmet flying with a haymaker. McQuaid landed several punishing body shots with his right hand. In the end, it was a draw.