The United States men's Olympic ice hockey team will have their backs against the wall as they prepare to face Team Russia Saturday in front of a partisan crowd at the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, but coach Dan Bylsma has enough confidence in Jonathan Quick to once again use him as the last line of defense between the goalposts.
Quick wasn't tested often in the United States' 7-1 victory over Slovakia, but Bylsma saw enough in the netminder to once again give him the starting nod for the team's second game in three days.
Bylsma has opted to go with the Los Angeles Kings goalie over Buffalo Sabres' backstop Ryan Miller, who won the 2010 Vancouver Games tournament MVP while leading the U.S. to the silver medal.
Quick made 22 saves in Thursday's triumph, but with a heavily-padded lead for the Americans, the goalie wasn't hung out to dry too often, though he did make his fair share of big saves.
"I thought there were periods of inactivity in that game and he had to stay sharp, stay focused, and it was followed by two or three big saves he had to make," Bylsma, who confirmed Derek Stepan (New York Rangers) and Justin Faulk (Carolina Hurricanes) will be scratched for the second straight game, said of Quick, according to NHL.com. "I thought he played real well in the game and again in the next game he will."
Quick was low-key when addressing the start.
"It's a start, so you're trying to help the team win a game," Quick told NHL.com. "That's all it is."
Quick has taken his game to a new level since the 2010 Olympics when Miller was between the pipes as he led the Kings to a Stanley Cup and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2012 all while padding his reputation as one of the best goalies in the league. Quick said playing the Russian team in Sochi will rival the playoff experiences he's had in North America with the Kings.
"Obviously, I've been fortunate to be on some good teams in the past where we've played in some important, big games in other teams' arenas," Quick said via NHL.com. "You expect it to be similar to that. I'm sure there might be a little more emotions, but at the same time, it's a hockey game; it's played between the walls."
Bylsma explained the reasons for sticking with Quick instead of turning to Miller, who shined in the 2010 tournament.
"Jonathan Quick is a goalie who has guided his team to a Stanley Cup and was a huge factor, a guy in the past 12 games of the last month had a goals-against [average] just a shade over two and a [.915] save percentage, which are great numbers," Bylsma said via NHL.com. "He's a great goalie, was for us in Game 1, and we're going to need him to be in Game 2."
Quick has the experience of beating opponents in enemy territory, as evidence by his Game 6 Stanley Cup triumph that saw the netminder hoist the Cup in New Jersey just two years ago, and he'll look to mirror that experience by hushing a raucous Russian crowd at the Bolshoy Ice Dome on Saturday.
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