Kuemper will be between the road pipes against Chicago on Thursday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Kuemper snapped a four-game winning streak Monday against the Wild by allowing two goals on 21 shots (.905 save percentage). However, he'll draw a fifth consecutive start Thursday and will have a favorable opportunity to bounce back, as the Blackhawks are converting just 2.69 goals per game this year, which is tied for the fifth-lowest mark in the league.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Tagged with loss Monday
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Kuemper stopped 19 of 21 shots in Monday's 3-1 loss to Minnesota. The third goal was an empty-netter in the final minutes of the third period.
Kuemper saw the end of his four-game winning streak with this defeat, though it wasn't a woeful outing or anything like that. Kuemper has been on a roll of late and has posted a save percentage of at least .900 in his past six appearances, which translates to a 4-1-1 record with an excellent 0.99 GAA and a .960 save percentage over that stretch.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: First goalie off
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Kuemper was the first goalie off during Monday's morning skate, Jessi Pierce of NHL.com reports, indicating that he'll draw the road start against the Wild.
Kuemper is riding a four-game winning streak and has posted shutouts in each of his last two outings. During his four-game hot stretch, he's logged a 0.49 GAA and .980 save percentage, and he'll be between the pipes for a fourth consecutive matchup Monday. His lone start against the Wild this year came at home Dec. 7, and he turned aside 22 of 23 shots (.957 save percentage) en route to the win.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Back-to-back shutouts
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Kuemper posted a 24-save shutout in Saturday's 1-0 overtime win over the Predators.
After giving up 12 goals while posting a record of 0-2-1 from Feb. 28 to March 5, Kuemper has rebounded in a massive way. He's won four straight starts, including the last two by shutout, and he's stopped 97 of 99 shots in that span. The 34-year-old netminder is up to 35 shutouts in his career, including four this season. He's gone 22-8-7 with a 2.16 GAA and a .918 save percentage over 38 appearances in what's shaping up to be one of the best seasons of his career. The Kings head out on a two-game road trip to start next week, with stops in Minnesota on Monday and Chicago on Thursday.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: In goal Saturday
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Kuemper will patrol the home crease against Nashville on Saturday, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.
Kuemper has stopped 73 of 75 shots during his three-game winning streak, including a 21-save shutout victory over Washington on Thursday. He has a 21-8-7 record with three shutouts, a 2.23 GAA and a .916 save percentage across 37 appearances this season. Nashville ranks 31st in the league with 2.62 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Shuts out former team
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Kuemper posted a 21-save shutout in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Capitals.
Kuemper picked up his third straight win, but this one had to feel a little sweeter coming against his former team. He had spent the previous two seasons with the Capitals, but a poor 2023-24 for Kuemper saw him swapped to the Kings for Pierre-Luc Dubois over the summer. It's largely been a win-win deal, but the Kings came out on top this time, with Kuemper earning his third shutout of the season. He's now 21-8-7 with a 2.23 GAA and a .916 save percentage over 37 appearances. Kuemper is likely to start again Saturday at home versus the Predators, though that is not yet confirmed.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Stands tall in win
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Kuemper stopped 33 of 34 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.
The Kings didn't make it easy on Kuemper, taking eight penalties in the contest, but they also scored two shorthanded goals to atone for the mistakes. Kuemper handled the rest, earning his second straight win with a strong performance between the pipes. The 34-year-old netminder improved to 20-8-7 with a 2.29 GAA and a .914 save percentage across 36 appearances. This is the fourth time he's reached the 20-win mark, three of which have been in the last four seasons. The Kings have a tough test ahead Thursday, as Kuemper's former team, the Capitals, come to town.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Set to start Tuesday
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Kuemper was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports, indicating he will patrol the home crease against the Islanders on Tuesday.
Kuemper is coming off a 19-save effort in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over St. Louis. He has posted a 19-8-7 record with two shutouts, a 2.32 GAA and a .912 save percentage through 35 appearances this season. The Islanders have 2.71 goals per game in 2024-25, tying the team for 26th in the league.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Ends three-game skid
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Kuemper stopped 19 of 20 shots in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win over the Blues.
Kuemper avenged his shootout loss from Wednesday, holding the fort and limiting the Blues to just a Nick Leddy tally in the third period of Saturday's game. This performance ended a three-game slide for Kuemper, who was 0-2-1 with 12 goals allowed on 79 shots in that span. It's a rare poor stretch for the 34-year-old netminder, who improved to 19-8-7 with a 2.32 GAA and a .912 save percentage over 35 outings this season. He'll likely cede the crease to David Rittich for Sunday's game in Vegas, but look for Kuemper to be back between the pipes Tuesday on home ice versus the Islanders.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Facing Blues
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Kuemper will start at home Saturday versus the Blues, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Kuemper has lost his last three outings (0-2-1), allowing 12 goals in that span. His most recent loss was in a shootout versus the Blues on Wednesday, but he will get a quick opportunity to get even. The Blues have won six of their last seven games, so this will be a tough matchup.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Takes shootout loss
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Kuemper stopped 28 of 30 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Blues.
Kuemper played a much better game than he had in his previous two outings, but still came away without a win. He's given up 12 goals on 79 shots during his three-game skid (0-2-1). For the season, the 34-year-old netminder is now 18-8-7 with a 2.36 GAA and a .911 save percentage through 34 appearances. Kuemper could get another crack at the Blues if he gets the nod Saturday, though it is the first half of a back-to-back since the Kings are visiting the Golden Knights on Sunday.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Leaves ice first
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Kuemper was the first goalie off Wednesday, Russell Morgan of Hockey Royalty reports, indicating he'll guard the cage at home versus the Blues.
Kuemper has struggled in his last two outings, giving up a combined 10 goals on 49 shots (.796 save percentage) to the Stars and Blackhawks. Considering the Kings play the Blues in each of their next two games, the veteran netminder will need to recover quickly and find his game.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Subpar showing Monday
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Kuemper stopped 14 of 18 shots in Monday's 5-1 loss to the Blackhawks. The fifth goal was an empty-netter with 1:30 left in the game.
Kuemper didn't have his best outing Monday and was tagged with a second straight loss. However, and perhaps even more worrisome, is the fact that he posted a save percentage below the .810 mark for the second game in a row. Kuemper will aim to bounce back when the Kings take on the Blues on Wednesday, though it's uncertain if he'll start based on his recent performances.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Expected to guard cage
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Kuemper is poised to patrol the blue paint on the road against Chicago on Monday, Zach Dooley of Kings Insider reports.
Kuemper is just two victories away from reaching the 20-win threshold after coming up short of that mark last year. In his last five outings, the 34-year-old backstop is 4-1-0 with a 3.20 GAA and .879 save percentage. Look for Kuemper to continue to see the bulk of the workload heading into the final weeks of the regular season while David Rittich serves as the No. 2 option.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Yields six goals in loss
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Kuemper stopped 26 of 32 shots in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Stars.
The Stars led 3-1 after one period, but head coach Jim Hiller didn't pull Kuemper. This likely indicates that David Rittich will handle the second half of a back-to-back when the Kings visit the Blues on Saturday, and the team wanted to keep him fresh at the expense of Kuemper's performance. This outing ended a four-game winning streak for Kuemper, and it was his worst game since an eight-goal meltdown Oct. 14 versus the Senators, which preceded one of his stints on injured reserve. Kuemper dropped to 18-7-6 with a 2.33 GAA and a .913 save percentage over 32 contests this season.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Slated to start Friday
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Kuemper was the first goaltender off the ice at morning skate, Zach Dooley of Kings Insider reports, and is expected to defend the visiting crease in Dallas on Friday.
Kuemper has won four straight, giving up 10 goals on 100 shots (.900 save percentage) in victories over Vegas, Utah, Montreal and Carolina during the month of February. Kuemper is 18-6-6 with two shutouts, a 2.21 GAA and a .917 save percentage across 31 outings this season. Dallas is generating 3.31 goals per game this season, which ranks sixth in the NHL.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Earns win vs. Vegas
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Kuemper stopped 21 of 23 shots in Monday's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights.
Kuemper has been on a roll of late and secured the win for a fourth consecutive start, allowing three or fewer goals in each of those contests. The 34-year-old has been excellent in the new year. He posted a 5-4-1 record with a 1.72 GAA and a .938 save percentage across 10 games in January and remains undefeated in February, going 4-0-0 with a 2.50 GAA and a .900 save percentage.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: In goal versus Knights
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Kuemper will get the starting nod at home against Vegas on Monday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Kuemper is riding a three-game winning streak, during which he has posted a 2.67 GAA and .896 save percentage. With David Rittich having lost four of his last five outings, the Kings may rely heavily on Kuemper heading into the final weeks of the NHL season -- though a road back-to-back against Dallas and St. Louis on Friday and Saturday, respectively, will likely see the duo split the workload.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Overcomes opposing hat trick
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Kuemper stopped 25 of 28 shots in Saturday's 5-3 win over Utah.
Kuemper gave up a goal in each period to Barrett Hayton, but the Kings' offense was just a bit stronger overall. This was Kuemper's third straight win to begin February after he went a pedestrian 5-4-1 in January. For the season, the 34-year-old netminder is up to 17-6-6 with a 2.22 GAA and a .917 save percentage across 30 starts. The Kings host the Golden Knights on Monday, which could be another starting opportunity for Kuemper, who has typically handled the workload of a No. 1 goalie when healthy this season.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Tending twine
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Kuemper (personal) will guard the home goal versus Utah on Saturday.
Kuemper had an early start to the 4 Nations Face-Off break after missing a Feb. 8 game versus the Ducks. He's ready to return to the crease against Utah, a team he beat 3-2 with a 24-save performance Oct. 26. Kuemper is 7-4-1 with a 1.85 GAA and a .932 save percentage since the start of January, so he's a strong fantasy option.
