Following Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Cam Talbot and the Los Angeles Kings are starting to emerge as one of the stronger defensive clubs in the NHL.
It’s been a tumultuous string of seasons for Talbot. After losing the starting job with the Edmonton Oilers, then getting dealt in the 2018-19 season to the Philadelphia Flyers, the undrafted netminder found himself making pitstops with the Calgary Flames, the Minnesota Wild and the Ottawa Senators.
After signing a one-year deal with the Kings last summer, Talbot hoped Hollywood would provide a fresh opportunity for his career. And so far, it’s paid off in spades, with a 4-2-1 record with a .914 save percentage in seven starts.
On Wednesday’s episode of "Daily Faceoff Live," Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discussed Talbot’s hot start and how the 10-year veteran goaltender could help the Kings become a contender in the Pacific Division.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Let’s head out west, Frank, and talk a little bit about a game we saw last night. The L.A. Kings taking down the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 4-1 final — the one is the number I want to focus on first, we spent a lot of time in the offseason and throughout training camp and early on in the regular season talking about if this Kings’ goaltending is good enough.
Now you look at Cam Talbot, he’s only allowed five goals in his last three starts. Have the concerns been quieted with the Kings’ goaltending?
Frank Seravalli: Yeah I think they have. Six starts for Cam Talbot since allowing four to start the season on opening night. In that time, he’s got a .920 save percentage and a 4-1-1 record. This is more in line with the Cam Talbot the L.A. Kings expected to see.
That’s a huge sigh of relief, because I can tell you not only were we talking about it, but internally, the Kings were wondering, “Did we make a mistake here?” This has quieted all that talk.
You can watch the full episode here…
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