Things didn't go the way the Arizona Coyotes hoped they would on Tuesday night.
The Desert Dogs gave up a critical two points to the last place LA Kings, The Colorado Avalanche picked up two important ones of their own against the Edmonton Oilers, and worst of all, their goaltender Darcy Kuemper was forced to leave the game after a scaring looking play involving Trevor Lewis. After firing home a backhand, Lewis was pushed from behind by defenceman Kevin Connauton and his stick somehow managed to get caught in Kuemper’s cage.
The always witty Kings Twitter account understood the gravity of the situation and got a bit more serious with a shout out to Kuemper. In a classy move, the Kings wished him well by sharing a picture of captain Anze Kopitar hitting his pads. Kuemper spent 19 games with the Kings in the 2017-18 campaign before getting traded to the Coyotes mid-season.
Despite the scare, it looks like Kuemper should be okay. General Manager John Chayka told 98.7 FM’s Arizona Sports Station on Wednesday Morning that Kuemper is “OK” and that the injury was “nothing to serious, by the sounds of it.
Backup Calvin Pickard entered the game and stopped all four shots his way. Ideally a team would give their tendy rest after such an injury but with the four points out of a playoff spot, they’ll need Kuemps in sooner than later. They have a must-win game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.
(H/T LA Kings)
