On Saturday evening (Dec. 27), the Los Angeles Kings will be without starting goalie Darcy Kuemper for the fifth game in a row in the West in the Pacific Division against the Anaheim Ducks at Crypto.com Arena. Kuemper originally suffered an upper-body injury a couple of weeks ago in mid-December this month on Dec. 15 on the road against the Dallas Stars in the game’s first period.
Goalie Darcy Kuemper reportedly returns to the ice for the morning skate for the Los Angeles Kings this weekend
Head coach Jim Hiller and the Kings had a morning skate on Saturday morning for the first time in the past few days late this week and this weekend for the holiday break for Christmas. Anton Forsberg will start for the Kings on Saturday evening at home at Crypto.com Arena on Dec. 27.
Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider reported on Dec. 27 that Kuemper had returned to the ice for Hiller and staff this morning for the team’s morning skate before facing the Ducks in the Pacific Division tonight at Crypto.com Arena.
This is great news for the Kings to get Kuemper back on the ice in the morning skate for the first time in this past couple of weeks in the West. Earlier this week on Monday and Tuesday, Kuemper was back on the ice for the Kings, reportedly working in 1-on-1 drills and coaching with LA goalie coach Mike Buckley.
Kuemper reportedly worked in with limited groups in team drills in the Kings’ morning skate on Saturday this weekend. But he was not a full participant in the team drills and the full skate today on the ice for Hiller and the Kings.
“It’s hard to give you guys anything outside of the more you see him out there, the more he progresses, the more it’s shooting and you get into practice, then obviously the closer we get. I don’t want to say too much, because you just never know.”
Jim Hiller on Darcy Kuemper
The Kings could realistically activate Kuemper from injured reserve this weekend when the roster freeze in the league in the NHL lifts on Sunday (Dec. 28) in the next 24 hours.
The Kings will face off against the Ducks on Saturday evening at Crypto.com Arena at 6:00 p.m. PT on home ice.