Down two forwards for more than half the game, the Los Angeles Kings needed players to step up to avoid collapsing under the weight of the injuries and blowing another third-period lead. Andrei Kuzmenko and Darcy Kuemper answered the call.
Kuzmenko picked up two points, including a terrific third-period goal, and Kuemper made 33 huge saves as the Kings overcame injuries to Anze Kopitar and Joel Armia and held on to defeat the Minnesota Wild 4-2. No major updates to either forward were available after the game, although Kopitar was seen walking through the tunnels without much visible injury.
After the Kings led 2-0, the Wild scored their first goal in the third period and put the Kings at risk of losing the lead in the final minutes for a third straight game. But Kuzmenko answered a few minutes after Minnesota’s goal, avoiding a near-collision with Brian Dumoulin near the blue line before driving the net to score.
“You’re looking at those moments, somebody [needs] to make a big play,” head coach Jim Hiller said. “We’ve had opportunities at different times this year, and we’ve been close, but we haven’t been able to get that. And tonight, that was just an incredible goal by [Kuzmenko]. And the most important goal in the game in the end.”
Although the Wild got numerous good looks at the net across all three periods, Kuemper made crucial saves, using his lateral movement and quick reactions to his advantage. In his third game back from injury, he kept the game scoreless for most of the first two periods before helping the Kings maintain their lead.
“I’ve been just trying to grow my game each game,” Kuemper said. “And tonight’s the game that I’ve definitely felt the most like myself. So it’s been nice to get back in there and get my feet back under me. And I just want to keep building.”
“He’s as good as there is. He’s just so big and so square,” Hiller said of his goalie. “And I thought what he did well tonight too — you saw four or five scrambles — he was just able to hold his ground at the net, not get pushed in. You know, they’re jamming at him, and I think that’s where the size and strength really comes into play for him.”
Further complicating Kuemper’s job was the Kings allowing six Minnesota power plays, but a mix of good Kings penalty killing and clutch Kuemper saves limited the Wild to just one power-play goal.
“We definitely don’t want to be taking so many minors,” Kuemper said. “It’s been something we’ve been battling all year. It puts the PK in a tough spot. But the guys have been battling.”
With two straight wins, both coming against the same team, the Kings now have their first winning streak in nearly a month, and now they look to keep that momentum going with one game left on their homestand.
“These two wins [are] so important to us, because Minnesota is a great team, a lot of great players, and probably top in the league now,” Kuzmenko said. “For us, it’s [a] little bit [of a] message — believe in myself, keep going, because every player in this locker room is a great player.”