Latest news with #Kuemper
Edmonton Journal
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Oilers smashing through yet another post-season wall in Stars goalie Jake Oettinger
Article content What happened? The Kings are done and Kuemper sits dead last among all playoff goaltenders with a 3.74 goals against average. The Oilers lit him up for five goals three times and four goals once in dispatching Los Angeles in six games. Vegas goalie Adin Hill? After closing out the Minnesota Wild with .906, .909 and .935 save percentages in the last three games of that series, he was going to be a problem in the second round. What happened? The Oilers reduced his numbers to .857, .865 and .850 in the first three games, then Stuart Skinner posted shutouts in the last two, as Edmonton made very short work of the first place team in the Pacific Division. Which brings us to Jake Oettinger. He was sensational against the Winnipeg Jets, allowing just 12 goals in that six-game series and posting save percentages of .935, .923, .969, .912, .957. What's happening against Edmonton? It's been 12 goals against in three games and save percentages of .889, .880 and .750.
New York Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The Kings needed to make a statement in Game 5 against the Oilers. Instead, they fell flat
LOS ANGELES — This was when the Los Angeles Kings needed to meet the moment, to prove they could and silence the doubters after squandering chances against the Edmonton Oilers in a series they know they should still control. But on a night when they needed their best game, the Kings spit out their absolute worst. Advertisement Sure, it might have taken the Oilers until 7:12 of the third period to grab the lead on Mattias Janmark's goal, but that was only because Darcy Kuemper kept the Kings in the game with a Vezina Trophy-worthy effort. The final score was 3-1 because of Kuemper's stellar play, not because the Oilers pulled out a close game. It wasn't close at all. The Kings didn't blow this one. In a Game 5 back at home, on the ice they've protected so well all season, in a moment meant to restore their confidence, they were beaten up, down and sideways. 'It's hard right now,' Kings captain Anže Kopitar said. 'Obviously, everybody's frustrated. But we got to put it behind us. We got to go win a game on the road. And that's what we're going to focus on here.' The Kings are once again facing elimination, yet this time, it must feel so deflating after winning the first two games with the home ice advantage they worked hard to gain, then letting potential victories in Games 3 and 4 slip through their fingers. The crowd at Arena was again juiced by a return engagement from the beloved Koreatown Senior and Community Center harmonica players, but the Kings' game went completely off the rails. Fast starts have powered them in much of the series, but they came out like an old car choking with a bad transmission. The Grand Entrance 😎 — x – LA Kings (@LAKings) April 30, 2025 The Oilers had the first 10 shots of the game. That edge grew to a 19-4 advantage when the teams went to their dressing rooms for the first time. The Kings were blitzed again in the second. Edmonton had a 33-12 shot advantage going into the second intermission. Los Angeles scored the first goal for the fourth time in the series on Andrei Kuzmenko's tip of Kopitar's point shot, another power-play goal. Advertisement But the way they were playing, that lead had no chance of sticking. 'I think we're all frustrated with the effort we gave,' Kings defenseman Joel Edmundson said. 'Throughout the whole season, we've been playing hard at home. We love playing in front of these fans. Huge game for us and we come out like that.' One good period could have rescued a brutal effort, but the Kings were outshot in the third. Ten of their 22 shots forced Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard to make a save, but the level of stress, compared to what Kuemper was dealing with, paled in comparison. Natural Stat Trick tracked the Oilers with a 21-4 edge in high-danger chances. When the Kings did connect on a pass, it was cause for mock celebration. 'We couldn't really get anything going, obviously,' Kopitar said. 'The shot clock was pretty evident. We didn't sustain any O-zone time. When you don't have that, it's hard to string shifts together and gain some momentum. We're gonna look at some stuff and make sure that we do a lot better job.' Kings coach Jim Hiller, who made two lineup adjustments for Game 5 — re-inserting Jordan Spence on defense and putting Alex Turcotte back in on the fourth line — stated what was blatantly apparent. The Oilers executed better. There was no part of the Kings' game that was good outside of the power play, and even that went awry in the third when they had a chance to answer Janmark's goal. When the Kings are at their best, they're a connected five-man unit that supports each other and has the puck moving up ice. Too often on Tuesday, they were circling back to recover pucks that didn't get to their destination. And they lost most of the puck races, which typically doesn't happen. But it wasn't only the lack of offense that left Hiller puzzled. 'I can tell you we weren't connecting defensively either,' he said. 'I think you can connect it on both sides of the puck. We were not connected defensively. I don't think we gave ourselves a great chance. We turned the puck over. You guys watched the game. How many times did we turn the puck over so we were disorganized and they came racing at us? … We probably give them more odd-man rushes in the first period tonight than they might have had the whole series to this point. Advertisement 'You're just not going to win that way. We're not going that way. Maybe some other teams win that way. We're not going to win that way. And that's why we play the style that we do. We have to keep it tight and then grind you for one or two.' Add it up, and it was an incredibly disappointing night for a team bent on changing a narrative. 'You know, it's do or die for us,' Edmundson said. 'Nothing to save it for. If we want to win, we got to eventually win some road games. Huge game for us. Think about this one tonight. But tomorrow is a new day. Go up to Edmonton and get ready for that game.' Before they toss this Game 5 in the garbage, the Kings can pull out Kuemper's fine goaltending. He's done his part in the last two games and deserved a much better fate. On Sunday, he made 44 stops and kept his team alive in overtime. On Tuesday, he turned in a 43-save effort that gave his team a shot in a game they had no business winning. The Oilers didn't even need Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid to go nuclear in Game 5. That's how bad the Kings were. 'Darce was stellar tonight, as he's been the whole season and the series,' Kopitar said. 'He gave us a chance. We couldn't get a whole lot going.' The Kings picked the worst time to forget all their lines. Now they've only got one shot to prove they can keep the show going and force a Game 7. 'I think we've had a pretty good season to this point,' Hiller said. 'Guys have put in a massive effort thus far. You got to go win a game. I know it's a cliché, but it goes up and down. From the 29-second mark (of Game 4) until now, it doesn't look very good. We got to go win a hockey game. They took it away from us. 'We got to go win a hockey game and take it back. That's just the way it goes. There's no tricks here.' (Top photo of Alex Laferriere: Gary A. Vasquez / Imagn Images)
Los Angeles Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Edmonton Oilers rally to win Game 5, put Kings on the brink of elimination again
Edmonton's Mattias Janmark pushed the Kings to the brink of playoff elimination, scoring off a rebound early in the third period to give the Oilers a 3-1 win in Game 5 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff at Arena. The Oilers, who lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, can end the Kings' season for a fourth straight season with another victory. Janmark's goal marked the fourth time in five games the Kings have given up a game-tying or go-ahead score in the final 13 minutes of regulation. It was also the third consecutive come-from-behind win for the Oilers, the first time they've done that in the franchise's playoff history. Evander Kane had Edmonton's first goal while the lone Kings' long score came from Andrei Kuzmenko, both in the second period. The Oilers' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins closed out the scoring with an empty-net goal in final 62 seconds. The Oilers had the stronger opening 20 minutes, during which they took the first 11 shots, building a 19-4 advantage for the period. But Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper, who on Monday was named one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, proved why, leaving Edmonton with nothing to show for all that effort. That allowed Kuzmenko to put the Kings in front 3:33 into the second period. The winger parked himself in front of the net and was shielding Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard when he reached out to redirect in a pass from Anze Kopitar near the blue line. The goal, the Kings' eighth power-play score of the series, came eight seconds after Darnell Nurse went off for tripping. It also marked the fourth time in five games that the Kings scored first. Kopitar's assist was his seventh in five games while Adrian Kempe, who also assisted on the goal, has six. However the lead lasted less than three minutes before Kane tied it on a wrist shot from the high slot. That goal came seven seconds after the Kings killed off a tripping penalty to Drew Doughty. Edmonton then went in front to stay 7:12 into the final period when Janmark scored off the rebound of a shot by former King Viktor Arvidsson that Kuemper had pushed out to his stick side, not knowing that Janmark was perched just inside the circle. Kuemper deserved a far better fate after turning away 43 shots. He has faced 93 shots in the last two games.
Edmonton Journal
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Jets' Connor Hellebuyck named Vezina finalist along with Darcy Kuemper, Andrei Vasilevskiy
Article content He posted career bests in wins (47), shutouts (eight), goals-against average (2.00) and save percentage (.925) as Winnipeg finished the regular season with the league's best record. Despite the regular-season success, the announcement comes at a time when Hellebuyck is struggling with his form in the playoffs. He has been pulled in Winnipeg's last two games against St. Louis, surrendering 11 goals on 43 shots over that span, as the Blues have come back to tie their first-round best-of-seven series with the Presidents' Trophy winners at 2-2. Kuemper, in his second stint with the Kings, posted a 31-11-7 record, a 2.02 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage and five shutouts as L.A. finished second in the Pacific Division. The Kings are tied 2-2 in their first-round series with the Oilers after losing two straight in Edmonton. Vasilevskiy posted a 38-20-5 record with a 2.18 GAA, .921 save percentage and six shutouts as the Lightning finished second in the Atlantic Division. He won the award in 2018-19 and is a finalist for the fifth time. The Lightning trailed the Florida Panthers 2-1 in their first-round series heading into Game 4 on Monday night in Sunrise.
New York Times
28-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NHL Vezina Trophy finalists announced — what would Connor Hellebuyck's third win mean?
Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Darcy Kuemper of the Los Angeles Kings and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning were named finalists for the NHL's Vezina Trophy on Monday, awarded 'to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at this position.' Hellebuyck is the prohibitive favorite to win the award for the second straight year, and for the third time in his career. He led the NHL in nearly all major goaltending statistics this season, with the most wins (47), shutouts (eight) and goals saved above expected (49.48), and the highest save percentage (.925) among goalies who played at least 35 games. Advertisement This is the fifth Vezina Trophy nomination of Hellebuyck's career, and winning for a third time would put him in an elite class. He would join Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek as the only goalies since the award's criteria changed in 1982 — and voting for the award began — to win three Vezinas. He would also join that trio as the only goalies to win it in consecutive years during that span. Hellebuyck already added to his trophy case this season, winning his second-consecutive William M. Jennings trophy, which is awarded to the goalie who plays for the team that allowed the fewest goals. The Jets allowed only 190 goals this season, 13 fewer than the next-closest team. Because Winnipeg backup Eric Comrie didn't reach the 25-game threshold to receive a share of the trophy, Hellebuyck also became the first goalie in NHL history to be the sole winner of the Jennings in consecutive seasons. Hellebuyck's victory feels like a foregone conclusion, with his odds currently at -20,000 (meaning a $20,000 wager would win only $100). Still, both Kuemper and Vasilevskiy had excellent seasons in net and were well deserving of the nomination. Kuemper's return to Los Angeles sparked a resurgence for the 34-year-old. He went 31-11-7 with a .922 save percentage and 29.45 GSAx, backstopping the Kings to a second-place finish in the Pacific Division. He also matched a career-high with five shutouts — tied for fourth in the NHL — and got better as the season progressed. He was particularly impressive on shots close to the net, posting the highest save percentage in the league on high-danger chances (.863). Trading for Kuemper turned out to be an excellent move for Los Angeles, who took on the remaining three years of his contract by acquiring him from Washington last June. Vasilevskiy returned to his usual form, posting a 38-20-5 record with a .921 save percentage and 28.84 GSAx. It was a nice bounce back season for the 2018-19 Vezina winner, after a down year in 2023-24 following a procedure on his back. Vasilevskiy started the season slow, but finished strong with the highest save percentage in the NHL after Dec. 1. Advertisement The Vezina Trophy finalists are the first to be announced between now and May 5. Finalists for the Norris Trophy (best defensemen) will be revealed Tuesday, followed by the Ted Lindsay Award (most outstanding player) on Wednesday, the Hart Trophy (league MVP) on Thursday and the Masterston (perseverance and dedication), Selke (best defensive forward), Jack Adams (coach of the year) and Lady Byng (sportsmanship) awards on Friday.
