Ben Bishop earned his first win as a member of the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, but that it took five starts over almost a month for him to do so highlights the fact goaltending was never really the problem to begin with.
The Kings exploded for five goals in the win over Winnipeg, a level of production that's been the exception rather than the norm this season. The five-goal outburst was actually more than double their normal output, as the Kings rank 25th in the NHL with a goals per game average of 2.44.
Remarkably, the situation had been even worse lately. In the 10 previous games since the acquisition of Bishop days prior to the trade deadline, Los Angeles had scored a grand total of 20 goals, good for 29th among all teams from Feb. 28 - March 23.
The Kings added veteran winger Jarome Iginla in an attempt to spark the offense, but he's managed only three goals in 10 games and clearly isn't the prolific scorer he once was.
Bishop was brought in to provide insurance for Jonathan Quick, who had just returned from injury. Quick has gone 5-3-1 with a save percentage of .922 since his return, proving he's still quite good. His workload is smaller thanks to Bishop, but Peter Budaj had held down the starter spot pretty well in his absence.
Nevertheless, the Kings will finish the season with an impressive duo in net, but a season-long inability to score will be what keeps them out of the playoffs, not a lack of goaltending.
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