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Darcy Kuemper's Heroics Wasted In Kings Overtime Loss
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- Darcy Kuemper's Heroics Wasted In Kings Overtime Loss
Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper, back on the crease, delivered one of his best games in a long time, posting his best season performance with several big saves against the Vegas Golden Knights and easing pressure on the Kings' defense.
The 36-year-old posted 30 saves on 32 shots on Saturday night, anchoring LA's defense on the road against a Western Conference opponent. But it still wasn't enough to give the Kings their first road win of the season in a tough environment.
The Kings have now started the season off 0-2-2 for the first time in franchise history. Somehow, though, even though they played arguably their best against a quality team, this loss feels much harder to swallow given how close the match came down.
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By all means, this was a very winnable game for the visiting team; despite never leading, the Kings were in position to take the lead, especially with Kuemper's crease play giving the offense plenty of chances to take over.
The game was tied 1-1 after 40 minutes, thanks to Kuemper's strong goaltending, and Artemi Panarin tied the score with a power-play goal in the second period.
The final period mirrored the opening, with both teams struggling to score and their defenses tightening to stretch the game as long as possible. LA was doing a solid job on the rush, especially on the 3-on-2 break-up, with Drew Doughty stopping a dangerous situation.
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Neither team could control the game or take the lead in the third period to break the tie. For the second time this season, the Kings were headed to extra periods in T-Mobile Arena.
In overtime, back-to-back plays by Adrian Kempe and Quinton Byfeild looked like they would lead to a game-winning goal and head home, but a big save by Knights goaltender Carter Hart kept the home team alive.
All those chances, the door was left open for the home team to convert, and they did. Off the faceoff, Mitch Marner spotted the traffic and nailed a shot down the middle, converting on the Knights' power play and finishing 2/3.
After the game, winner Kuemper, who left it all on the ice, walked off, disappointed, shrugging in disbelief after his best game of the season.
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"We hate losing. We want to win. We've got to use that feeling the right way, find that extra level to be difference makers to find wins, Kuemper said after another close loss.''
A disappointing season last year and an ugly start to this one, despite playing better tonight, have turned up the volume about ownership and whether this team should move towards rebuilding rather than staying in the middle for the last 10 years already.
Despite the defense playing its best this season, holding Vegas to a season-low two goals, the Kings' offense let them down, especially in the final period, after the defense made quality saves and stops; they failed to capitalize.
While the Kings played another close one and looked like they wanted it more, the box score didn't show it. They once again struggled on the power play, finishing 1-for-3 and scoring just one goal in their second straight game.
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The positive takeaway from this game was that Kuemper looked excellent on the road against the Knights. If he continues this play, all LA needs to do is work on their offense, and the team will be fine.
Los Angeles returns to Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers beginning their two-game homestand at 7:30 PM PT.
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