@bardown_army I don't think LA has the horses to survive their goaltending this year. — Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) March 15, 2016

Jonathan Quick posted his 41st career shutout, the most in NHL history among American-born goaltenders. pic.twitter.com/Xg3lVvMxQm — NHL (@NHL) March 15, 2016

Yes, lovely goaltending discussion.The bane of all level-headed and even-keeled debates. Goaltending is polarizing to many fans. It is the root of all evils, or the savior of all ills. A goaltender is elite, or he is trash. Simply saying that Quick was not very good last year, and a year before that, is probably going to make some people angry. Saying this year he is "revitalized", meaning it implies he has not been good, is even enough to ruffle some feathers.The truth is, however, statistically speaking, that Quick has never quite been the same goalie in 2011-2012 when he rightfully took home a Conn Smythe, was second in Vezina voting, and fifth in Hart Trophy voting.That season, Quick was truly one of the top goaltenders in the league. It was capped off by an amazing playoff run that really made up for what was a low scoring team almost all year.Be that as it may, there are still those who favor Quick (Or don't favor him) due to the Kings defense, limited quality shots, and structured and talented defensive forwards/defensemen. Simply put, the team has been a crutch for Quick to lean on when he has not been his best.Going over previous seasons, it is hard to really not agree with that assumption.From 2012-2015, the Kings 30-year old net minder posted a .924 adjusted save percentage at even strength. Amongst the league's most 20 used goaltenders during that time frame, Quick showed up at 13th on that list. Not exactly the best that is for sure. Furthermore, his Adjusted Fenwick Save Percentage (A great stat now available on Corsica), was barely above break even at a 0.46. What Adjusted Fenwick Save Percentage measure, or Adj.FSv%, is the true observed save percentage of a goalie on unblocked shots versus what is expected based on shot distance, shot quality, etc. It is actual - expected. So being in the positive range is good! In essence, it gives us a WAR number for goalies. For example, noted frustrating goalie Anders Lindback is a -0.88 for the same range of 2012-2015. This essentially means he stopped less pucks than he was expected to given what he faced. On the flip side both Rask and Cory Schneider, widely considered two of the best goalies in the league, have a 0.72. They beat what is expected of them.So with that healthy number of 0.46 in mind, Quick seems to be going ham this year, posting a 1.15 Adj.FSv%. That is actually better than his 2011-12 season, but not quite as good as his 2013-14 season, when he faced higher quality shots and posted around league average in quality starts.Okay, so I am throwing a lot of numbers at you here that are probably out of left field for those that do not follow the advanced stat realm.Let's get down to basic comparisons.These are all five on five numbers mind you, because that is the most true quality goalie numbers we can get.Nothing out of the ordinary here with shots faced and average distance. No spikes, all pretty much within a similar range.And there is the telling stuff.Some thoughts:First off, wow, Quick was really really bad in 2012-13. Call it a near Vezina/Smythe/Cup triple crown hang over year if you must, but man was he bad.Secondly, oh man did he prop up the Kings a little bit in the 2011-12 year. Without him that team probably does not even make the playoffs.Finally, this is year is pretty good!As stated before, he is actually having his best ever season in terms of adjusted save percentages.Which got me thinking on this comment by the wise hockey pundit Micah Blake McCurdyIf anything, it seems like the Kings goaltending is not going to be enough to make up for the lack of horses on the roster. Not vice versa.While the Corsi for and against numbers as a team are about average to what the Kings have put up the last five years, the concern would have to be on an offense that is very hit and miss and now has lost a key cog in Marian Gaborik. They have also seen a downturn in some possession metrics recently with a defense that cannot seem to find a steady pairing outside of Muzzin and Martinez. Many of the expected goals for and goals against numbers are on par with season averages for the Kings, but the most recent run of form has to put in question the team performance in front of the goaltending and not so much the goaltending itself.Quick, if anything, is having his best season since 2011-12. It is not anything that would single handedly carry a team to the promised land, but it is enough to hold water for a team that plays with a tremendously fine edge.This is all a timely article considering we just saw Quick pass a milestone of sorts.We would be remiss if we did not take a second to congratulate Quick on such a fine achievement. Knowing how he is though, he probably thanked his teammates more than anything, and then completely forgot about in preparation of the next game. He seems to be a pretty low-key, focused guy.Quick, given the amount of praise he gets by major media outlets, is often the target of criticism from the analytics crowd. However, this year that would probably be a bit of a reach. He has been pretty darn good for stretches of the year. He is streaky though, and the Kings are probably crossing their fingers that they do not see an untimely slip once April hits.They have fought through that before though and come out okay.Follow me on twitter for news and notes about the Kings and the NHL