DARCY KUEMPER

Kuemper's Night Comes Up Short in Denver

Early breakdowns handed Colorado high-quality looks; veteran netminder couldn't stop the Avalanche finishers.

Darcy Kuemper simply didn’t make the saves his team needed. He finished with 21 saves on 29 shots (.724) and a goals saved above expected of -4.64, evidence he was beaten on high-leverage chances. Two sequences sealed it: Nathan MacKinnon on the 5-on-3 early in the second, and Artturi Lehkonen on the power play late in the second — both extended Colorado’s lead and put the Kings chasing the rest of the night.