Kings goalie Jhonas Enroth comes up big again in 2-1 win over Islanders
Kings goalie Jhonas Enroth is poised to stop a wrap-around attempt by Islanders right wing Kyle Okposo in the first period Thursday night.
This featured a break from the NHL’s land of the giants, goalie division.
Jhonas Enroth (5 feet 10) vs. Jaroslav Halak (5-11).
The Kings and Enroth ultimately prevailed against Halak and the New York Islanders. Left wing Milan Lucic had the game-winner at 3:28 of the second period via an odd play, sort of a swipe at a rebound that went in off Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk, giving the Kings a 2-1 victory at Staples Center on Thursday night.
“I tried to handle the puck and kind of went down and all of sudden the goal horn went off and I really didn’t know what happened,” said Lucic, who scored his fourth of the season. “I thought Toff [Tyler Toffoli] or Carts [Jeff Carter] jumped on the rebound there. Gotta be lucky sometimes. Nice to get another one go off me, and in.”
The Kings prevailed by killing off a five-on-three advantage by the Islanders for 45 seconds in the third period when defenseman Brayden McNabb went off for tripping and was followed to the box by defenseman Drew Doughty, who went off for hooking. Doughty scored the other goal for the Kings, making it 1-1 in the first period, with a blast from above the right circle at 16:23.
They’ve won 10 of their last 13 games and moved into first place in the Pacific Division past Vancouver, which lost to Ottawa, 3-2, on Thursday.
Enroth, signed as an unrestricted free agent in July, has given up two goals in three starts and showed his trademark poise and quality rebound control.
“[Jhonas] had another huge game for us,” Lucic said. “He’s probably the biggest reason why we won tonight. It was nice to bounce back after kind of a poor third period against Arizona.”
Enroth made 31 saves and the Kings were outshot, 12-4, in the third period. Enroth is 3-0 with the Kings, including one shutout. His other two wins have come on the road.
“It was great. Obviously I really wanted to get a home start and playing my first game here,” Enroth said. “So I felt good about it.”
Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (8) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the Islanders in the first period Thursday night.
After Thursday’s morning skate, Enroth talked about how things have trended in the league, in terms of taller goalies. Halak and Enroth are two of the three goalies currently playing in the NHL who are listed at less than six feet.
“Honestly, I don’t feel small when I’m in the net,” Enroth said. “It’s more when I’m standing next to another big goalie. If you’re a big guy and you can move, it’s definitely a big advantage for you. I wouldn’t know.”
The likes of Halak and Enroth could be last of a breed. Kings goalie coach Bill Ranford, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Edmonton Oilers and Conn Smythe winner in 1990, was asked if someone like himself would get overlooked by scouts now because of his size, 5-11.
“Certainly, for sure,” Ranford said. “It’s like anything. If a pitcher’s got a live arm, he’s going to get looked at even though you’ve got a guy that maybe doesn’t throw as hard but has great control.
“When they see the live arm they’re going to give the guy that extra opportunity. And it’s no different. You’ve got a guy that’s 6-3, 6-4 and that can kind of stop the puck versus a guy that’s 5-11. Look around the league, there’s maybe three or four around the league, 5-11, 6-foot range.
“The whole dynamic of the position has changed.”
Twitter: @reallisa
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