LOS ANGELES _ The Los Angeles Kings' best-laid plans _ the blueprint to their season, in fact _ didn't even make it through the season-opening game without significant disruption.
Their All-Star goaltender, Jonathan Quick, was injured near the end of the first period of Wednesday's opening-night loss at San Jose.
On Thursday, the two-time finalist for the Vezina Trophy, given to the NHL's top goalie, was placed on injured reserve because of what the Kings described as a "lower-body injury" and his status is being called week to week.
Though the official news was lacking in specifics, this goes well beyond an ordinary setback for the Kings.
The most serious in-season injury suffered by Quick came in the 2013-14 season, when he suffered a Grade 2 groin strain at Buffalo and was sidelined for nearly two months.
It is not clear how this injury compares.
One Kings executive said that additional consultation with doctors about a plan for rehabilitation was still to come.
The Kings went 14-7-3 without Quick three seasons ago, sparked by backups Ben Scrivens and Martin Jones.
Jones was the opposing goalie Wednesday as the Sharks' starter.
Kings coach Darryl Sutter noted that this team and the 2013-14 group were "quite a different team."
"Jonathan's a special player," Sutter said. "So you just don't replace that. It's no different than any other star player out of your lineup. You don't just replace or expect somebody to play the same way or do the same things.
"But we also know that we are quite capable at that position."
The veteran duo of Jeff Zatkoff and Peter Budaj will handle goaltending duties in Quick's absence.
The Kings recalled Budaj on Thursday from their American Hockey League affiliate in Ontario, Calif. The 34-year-old has played in 297 NHL games, among them a victory last season when Quick was injured.
Budaj wasn't on hand for Thursday's practice, so Kings' goaltending coach Bill Ranford was enlisted to put on the pads.
Zatkoff, signed as a free agent July 1, was drafted by the Kings but had been with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization since the 2012-13 season.
He played the second and third periods in relief of Quick on Wednesday, faced 16 shots and gave up one goal.
He was pressed into relief duty in the playoffs during the Penguins' run to the Stanley Cup championship last season, appearing in two games.
This time, Zatkoff knew something was up after the first period when Quick told him to start stretching. For Quick to come out of a game is no small thing. "He's a warrior," Zatkoff said.
