Kuemper Steals the Kings Their First Win in Washington
The Los Angeles Kings finally won a hockey game, and they can thank the man between the pipes. Washington had more of the puck's dangerous moments all night, but Darcy Kuemper refused to break, and the Kings walked out of D.C. with a 5-2 win and their first two points of the season.
Washington outshot Los Angeles 32-27 and got the better chances throughout. Kuemper's workload was worth 4.9 expected goals, which is how many goals those shots would normally produce. He allowed just two, stopping 30 of 32. That works out to +2.9 goals saved above expected, or nearly three goals he took off the board that an average goalie would have given up. He also stopped every one of the most dangerous shots he faced.
At the other end, Logan Thompson stopped 22 of 26 on a lighter night and could not match him. Adrian Kempe scored twice on seven shots, on a line with Artemi Panarin and Alex Laferriere.
The Kings did not drive this game. Their goalie stole it.
