Kuemper Keeps Kings Within Reach in Tight Vegas Loss

Darcy Kuemper gave the Kings a chance to steal one by stopping difficult shots Vegas kept finding. He faced 89 shots and made 77 saves, finishing with a save percentage of 0.87. Los Angeles allowed an expected goals total against that was higher than the final score would suggest, and Kuemper denied many of those threats to keep the game close. For a Kings club still searching for its first win, performances like this matter because the goalie’s stops erase quality chances that the roster hasn’t been solving itself. Kuemper’s night didn’t translate into a win; he is 0-2 with a goals-against average of 4.03 through 3 games (he started 2), and his goals saved above expected sits at -2.31. His high-danger save percentage was 0.75, underscoring that while he stopped a lot, he also conceded more high-quality goals than the raw save total hides.