Darcy Kuemper gave the Kings exactly what they needed Tuesday night: a reset in net.
Los Angeles still came away with a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in its home opener at Crypto.com Arena, but Kuemper’s performance stood in sharp contrast to the rough start he endured in the season opener. He turned aside 26 of 28 shots and helped the Kings kill off all six Florida power-play chances.
That mattered for a team that had already dropped its first two games and was trying to avoid another early stumble in the 2026-27 campaign. Instead, the Kings fell for a third straight time and saw their skid stretch to nine consecutive losses dating back to last season.
The night started well enough for Los Angeles. Alex Laferriere scored his first goal of the season, giving the Kings a 1-0 lead before the first intermission. But the momentum slipped away in the second period when the Kings couldn’t cash in on a key 5-on-3 chance, and they never found another goal over the final 40 minutes.
"I think we could have done better with regard to the execution," Laviolette said. "At the end of the day, we did not move the puck efficiently enough."
The power play never turned into the kind of cushion Los Angeles needed, and Florida eventually made the early deficit disappear. From there, Kuemper had to do the heavy lifting, and he answered with a steadier, cleaner game after a brutal opener.
In Wednesday’s 8-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the 36-year-old allowed eight goals on 29 shots, a career-worst outing against the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners and the team that swept Los Angeles out of the playoffs last season. Tuesday was a much different story.
“The first few games we hung [the] goalies out to dry,” Laferriere said. “[Darc] played an unbelievable game.”
Drew Doughty saw the same thing from the back end.
"Darcy made some good saves," defenseman Drew Doughty said. "You need that from your goalie on the PK (penalty kill)."
Kuemper, a former sixth-round pick, has been the Kings’ workhorse over the last two seasons, starting 50 games in each and piling up 50 wins across that stretch. Los Angeles is counting on him to rediscover the form that made him one of the NHL’s top goaltenders two seasons ago, when he posted a 2.02 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage after arriving from the Washington Capitals.
Last season was a different story. His numbers dipped to a 2.78 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage, his toughest year as a King, and that slump helped push Anton Forsberg into all four starts during April’s playoff series against Colorado.
Even with only one point through three games, the Kings aren’t sounding the alarm just yet. Doughty said the group still believes it can turn things around, starting Saturday against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Western Conference representative in last season’s Stanley Cup Final.
"I believe in us," Doughty said.
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Kings Suddenly Face A High-Stakes Goalie Decision
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For the Kings, the intrigue comes from the possibility of being pulled into a conversation that has not yet fully taken shape. Any serious pursuit would have to be weighed against the kind of asset cost that usually comes with a premium goaltender, and Los Angeles would need to decide how far it wants to go if the market starts to heat up. Right now, it is less about an imminent deal than about whether the Kings become one of the teams willing to make the call when things get serious. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Already Have An Early Problem Fans Feared
Darcy Kuempers return to Crypto.com Arena gave the Kings a steady night in net, but it still wasnt enough to pull them out of their early-season skid. Alex Laferriere opened the scoring for Los Angeles, and for a while it looked like the kind of start that could settle everyone in after a shaky opening to the year.
Instead, Florida answered, then got the go-ahead goal from Matthew Tkachuk, and the Kings own issues around the puck only added to the frustration. Los Angeles came up empty on five power-play chances, generated just 20 shots, and left the building still searching for its first win after three games, which is not the sort of early rhythm this group wanted to be chasing. [Read more 🡒]