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Olympians from Kings, Ducks prepare to “flip the switch” in return to NHL

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The NHL is back in business, and one person concerned about the ‘quick’ turnaround is Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. The third goaltender for the U.S. team, Quick won a silver medal but did not appear in a game and needs to be sharp Tuesday when the Kings play at Dallas.

Quick and forward Dustin Brown, a U.S. teammate, were back on the ice with the Kings in El Segundo on Monday morning, about 19 hours after Canada won the gold in overtime Sunday in Vancouver.

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Defenseman Drew Doughty--who became the first active King to win Olympic gold--and U.S. defenseman Jack Johnson were to meet the team in Dallas.

‘It was an unbelievable hockey game,’ Quick said, still wrestling with his disappointment. ‘At the end of the day, we were just one shot away.’

As the third goalie, Quick not only didn’t play, he also got limited practice time.

‘It’s tough up there to try to get a lot of work in,’ he said. ‘I wanted to get back for practice before the game tomorrow. That was the main reason I came back today.’

The Ducks don’t play until Wednesday at home against Colorado, and seven of their eight Olympians--including Canadian gold medalists Scott Niedermayer, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry--are returning to practice Tuesday after a day off Monday.

Goalie Jonas Hiller, who was brilliant in net for Switzerland in the Games, already rejoined the team.

For the Kings’ Quick, the issue is game conditioning.

‘I have a little bit of concern for it, absolutely,’ Kings Coach Terry Murray said. ‘It’s a big month for us, and he’s our key guy.’

Brown, the Kings’ captain, called the gold-medal game ‘the biggest of my career,’ but was ready to move on.

‘It’s going to be difficult to flip the switch, but I’m sure I’ll find a way to do it,’ he said.

Also looming: the NHL trade deadline at noon Wednesday. The Ducks would like to add a defenseman or other upgrades to a team that is struggling to make the playoffs, but relatively few teams are ‘selling.’ Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski might be in play because the sides are not close in contract talks. The Kings, after balking at the high price for Ilya Kovalchuk before the Olympic break, appear unlikely to make any blockbuster deal and are happy with a young team that is in solid playoff position.

‘For this team to be successful, it’s going to come from the guys in that room,’ General Manager Dean Lombardi said.

-- Robyn Norwood

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