Kings' Anton Forsberg: Tough loss to Avs in Game 1
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Forsberg made 28 saves Sunday during the Kings' 2-1 loss to the Avalanche in Game 1 of their first-round series.
The veteran netminder played well, but Los Angeles' offense couldn't solve Scott Wedgewood until there was less than three minutes left in the third period. Forsberg hasn't allowed more than three goals in an outing in over a month, posting a stellar 1.67 GAA and .940 save percentage over his last nine appearances as he seized the No. 1 job in the Kings' crease from Darcy Kuemper. Forsberg will likely be between the pipes again in Game 2 on Tuesday.
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Kings' Anton Forsberg: Earns Game 1 starting nod
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Forsberg led the Kings out for warmups Sunday and will start Game 1 against the Avalanche, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Forsberg spent much of the season as Darcy Kuemper's backup, playing in just 36 games in the regular season, but Forsberg will get the nod in goal for Game 1. The 33-year-old Forsberg earned it with a fantastic month of April, going 5-1-0 with a 1.48 GAA and a .944 save percentage. On the flip side, Kuemper allowed 19 goals over his final four starts of his regular season. Forsberg will have his hands full with the Avalanche, who led the league with 3.63 goals per game in the regular season.
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Kings' Pheonix Copley: Summoned from AHL
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Copley was recalled from AHL Ontario on Saturday.
Copley will probably serve as a depth option for the Kings in the playoffs behind Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg. The 34-year-old Copley has earned a 21-11-1 record with a 2.59 GAA and a .901 save percentage in 33 AHL appearances this season.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Falls in overtime
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Kuemper stopped 21 of 25 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Canucks.
This was his first start in five games, and Kuemper didn't make a great case for more playing time against the league's worst team. This was Kuemper's fifth defeat (2-1-4) over his last seven appearances, and he's allowed at least four goals in five of those games. On the year, Kuemper is 19-14-15 with a 2.78 GAA and an .891 save percentage over 50 games. The Kings' regular-season finale is in Calgary on Thursday.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Tending twine Tuesday
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Kuemper will guard the road goal versus the Canucks on Tuesday, Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports.
Kuemper will get the nod in the second half of a back-to-back. The Kings are still playing for positioning, so they'd like to get a win, which would also give Kuemper some confidence going into the playoffs. He's 2-1-3 with 21 goals allowed on 146 shots (.856) save percentage) over his last six games, and he's been on the bench for the previous four games as Anton Forsberg helped the Kings secure their playoff spot.
Kuemper made 14 saves in a 7-6 overtime win over Toronto on Saturday.
The Kings are clinging to the second wild card, but they have played like they don't want it, and Kuemper has been pelted with pucks lately. He was under fire most of the night, and he has allowed 15 goals in his last three games (1-1-1). His save percentage is a meager .786 in that span. Kuemper is a tough activation as long as the Kings continue to play firewagon hockey.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Takes shootout loss
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Kuemper stopped 30 of 34 shots in Thursday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Predators.
Kuemper gave up the first three goals of the game, but he stayed in and steadied things from there. The Kings rewarded him with a comeback to force overtime, and Kuemper kept rolling until Luke Evangelista's tally in the eighth round of the shootout. That's a tough loss for the Kings to take, especially against a team right in the thick of the playoff race alongside them. Kuemper has gone 1-1-3 over his last five outings, and he's now at an 18-14-14 record with a 2.69 GAA and an .896 save percentage over 48 appearances. Kuemper should get the opportunity to regain confidence if he gets the start Saturday versus the Maple Leafs, who were eliminated from playoff contention with their loss to the Sharks on Thursday.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Starting versus Predators
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Kuemper will protect the home goal versus the Predators on Thursday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Kuemper was pulled Saturday versus the Mammoth, and even with three days between games, he'll fill the backup role Wednesday against the Blues. Kuemper should see a majority of the starts down the stretch as the Kings compete for a playoff spot. The Kings have just one more back-to-back after this week's set.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Pulled after two periods Saturday
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Kuemper stopped 11 of 16 shots in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Mammoth.
Kuemper was pulled after two periods in an ineffective performance. This was his first regulation loss since March 7 versus the Canadiens -- he went 3-0-4 over the seven outings in between. This poor showing dropped Kuemper to 18-14-13 with a 2.67 GAA and an .896 save percentage over 47 starts this season. The Kings have a back-to-back up next with major implications on the playoff race in both games, as they host the Blues on Wednesday and the Predators on Thursday. Kuemper and Anton Forsberg will likely split those games, though Kuemper would be the more probable of the two to get doubled up for starts, especially if the Kings lose ground in the playoff race while idle for the three days.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Set to face Utah
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Kuemper will patrol the home crease against the Mammoth on Saturday, per Eric Stephens of The Athletic.
Kuemper is coming off a 19-save performance in Thursday's 4-0 shutout win over Vancouver. He has gone 18-13-13 this campaign with a 2.60 GAA and an .899 save percentage across 46 appearances. Utah is tied for 13th in the league with 3.14 goals per game this season.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Cruises to shutout win
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Kuemper posted a 19-save shutout in Thursday's 4-0 win over the Canucks.
Kuemper didn't have a lot of work to do against the NHL's worst team, and he took care of business while facing his lightest workload in any outing in March. He's now 4-1-4 this month, and that ability to salvage points is keeping the Kings in the playoff race -- they're one point back of the Predators for the second wild-card spot through Thursday's action. This was Kuemper's third shutout of the season, and he improved to 18-13-13 with a 2.60 GAA and an .899 save percentage over 46 appearances. The Kings have a pivotal matchup versus the Mammoth on Saturday, and Kuemper will likely be playing a lot as long as the Kings remain the hunt.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Expected to start Thursday
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Kuemper is expected to start on the road against Vancouver on Thursday, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.
Kuemper is looking to get back into the win column after going 0-0-3 with a 2.83 GAA and an .883 save percentage across his past three games. He's 17-13-13 with a 2.66 GAA and an .897 save percentage in 45 appearances this season. Vancouver is a favorable matchup. The Canucks have dropped their past three games to fall to 21-41-8 on the season, and they rank 31st in goals per game with 2.53 this campaign.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Falls in shootout
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Kuemper stopped 21 of 23 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Flames.
Kuemper wasn't able to protect a pair of one-goal leads. He then faltered in the shootout, allowing goals to two of the four Calgary shooters to cost the Kings a point in the standings from what was a winnable matchup. He's taken three straight losses past regulation time, giving up nine goals on 77 shots in that span. For the season, Kuemper has a 17-13-13 record with a 2.66 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 45 starts. The Kings' next game is another favorable one as they visit the Canucks on Thursday.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Set to face Flames
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Kuemper is expected to start Tuesday's road game against Calgary, according to Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.
Kuemper has gone 0-0-2 in his past two outings while allowing seven goals on 54 shots. He has a 17-13-12 record this campaign with two shutouts, a 2.68 GAA and an .897 save percentage across 44 appearances. Calgary sits 32nd in the league with only 2.49 goals per game this season.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Getting start in Salt Lake City
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Kuemper will be between the road pipes versus the Mammoth on Sunday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Kuemper allowed three goals on 20 shots in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to Philadelphia, which followed a three-game stretch in which he allowed two goals or fewer while going 2-0-1 during the Kings' road trip against Eastern Conference teams. Utah has had mixed results in March, posting a 5-4-2 record this month.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Takes shootout loss versus Flyers
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Kuemper gave up three goals on 20 shots in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers.
Kuemper also allowed two goals in the shootout to take the loss. He's 3-1-2 over his six outings in March, allowing 15 goals on 146 shots in those games, which is right in line with his performance for the season. The veteran netminder is at an 17-13-11 record with a 2.65 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 43 starts this season. The Kings have a back-to-back up next -- they host the Sabres on Saturday and visit the Mammoth on Sunday. Kuemper and Anton Forsberg will split those games, but neither goalie is in for a good matchup.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: First off ice Thursday
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Kuemper was the first goaltender off the ice at morning skate, Alexander Legget of mayorsmanor.com reports, and is slated to defend the home goal versus Philadelphia on Thursday.
Kuemper has won his last two starts, giving him a 17-13-10 record with a 2.64 GAA and an .898 save percentage. The Kings have provided solid defense in front of Kuemper of late as he has faced no more than 23 shots on goal in each of his last four games. The Flyers are generating 2.78 goals per game, 26th in the league this season.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Sharp in Monday's win
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Kuemper turned aside 21 shots in Monday's 4-1 win over the Rangers.
It took a third-period power play for New York to spoil Kuemper's shutout bid, as Vincent Trocheck tipped home a point shot from the slot. Kuemper has just one regulation loss in March, going 3-1-1 in five starts with a 2.41 GAA and .905 save percentage as the Kings try to claim a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: First goalie off Monday
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Kuemper was the first goalie off during Monday's morning skate, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports, indicating that he'll draw the home start against the Rangers.
Kuemper hasn't been particularly sharp over the past month and a half, as he's gone 2-3-1 with a 3.50 GAA and .866 save percentage over six appearances since the start of February. The Rangers are generating 2.82 goals per game this year, which is the eighth-worst mark in the NHL.
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Kings' Darcy Kuemper: Holds on for win
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Kuemper stopped 21 of 23 shots in Friday's 3-2 win over the Islanders.
Kuemper had a 3-0 lead to work with after one period, and he was able to protect it despite allowing a goal to Emil Heineman in each subsequent frame. This was Kuemper's second win in four outings in March. The 35-year-old goalie is up to 16-13-10 with a 2.68 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 41 starts this season. Look for Anton Forsberg to get the nod in Saturday's game versus the Devils to finish off this back-to-back set.
