Darcy Kuemper gave the Los Angeles Kings exactly the kind of night they needed from him Tuesday in Florida. He just didn’t get the result to match.
The former Colorado Avalanche goaltender stopped 26 of 28 shots against the Panthers, turning in his best outing of the season and looking much closer to the version that helped him win the 2022 Stanley Cup with Colorado. Still, the Kings came away with a 2-1 loss, and Kuemper’s search for his first win with Los Angeles continues.
It was a welcome reset after a rough opening stretch. Kuemper allowed eight goals in the season opener against Colorado, then watched Anton Forsberg get the start against San Jose. Back in the net against Florida, he settled in quickly and made a string of important saves as the game wore on.
Los Angeles gave him an early cushion. Alex Laferriere scored late in the first period, finishing off a rebound after Erik Haula sparked the play from behind the net. The Kings then had a prime chance to build on that lead in the second period when Florida was whistled for two penalties, including 66 seconds of five-on-three time, but they came up empty.
That missed opportunity came back fast.
Six seconds after the final penalty expired, Seth Jones tied it for Florida. From there, the Kings struggled to create much of anything offensively. They went 0-for-5 on the power play, while the penalty kill finished a perfect 6-for-6.
Florida grabbed control in the third period after a turnover in the neutral zone opened the door the other way. Matthew Tkachuk finished the chance past Kuemper with 8:40 left, and the Kings couldn’t find a response even after pulling their goalie late.
The numbers on Kuemper’s start are still ugly: 0-2, a 5.11 goals-against average and a .825 save percentage through two games. For a goalie trying to reclaim the job, that’s a tough early line. But Tuesday at least offered something more encouraging than the season opener did.
That’s because the Kings signed Kuemper expecting more than survival. He was a Stanley Cup champion in 2022 and a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2024-25, and Los Angeles has been waiting for that level to show up with consistency.
His path back to the crease has already been complicated. Last season, he lost the starting job to Forsberg down the stretch, and Forsberg started every game of the Kings’ first-round playoff series, which ended with Los Angeles being swept by Kuemper’s former team, the Avalanche.
So the task in front of Kuemper is simple to say and hard to do: keep stacking nights like this one.
Against Florida, he looked far more like himself. The Kings just couldn’t give him enough help.
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For Colorado, that kind of support matters as much as the scoring itself. The top line combined for three goals and eight points against St. Louis, and the Avalanche backed it up with strong defensive play, a combination that has long been the formula for October success. If Necas can keep fitting into that mix the way he has so far, the Avalanche may have found exactly the kind of help MacKinnon needed most. [Read more 🡒]