Coming into Monday night’s game at Nashville, Kings coach Jim Hiller had a choice to make regarding his goaltenders. Embarking on the first of back-to-back games, both netminders were likely to get one start each during a brief two-game road trip. Without much hesitation, LA’s bench boss opted to put Darcy Kuemper back out there, despite his less than spectacular showing over the weekend.
And the move paid off in a big way.
Kuemper earned a 3-0 shutout victory vs. the Predators — his first since returning to the Kings this past summer. That’s not all, though. It also pushed his season record up to 4-0-3, as Kuemper hasn’t lost in regulation over his seven starts.
Equally impressive was the complete defensive domination put forth by the Kings. They shutdown Nashville’s three opportunities on the power play and held them to less than 20 shots in the game. By every measure possible, it was a team victory.
Anze Kopitar’s fifth goal of the season ultimately stood as the game winner, yet it was Kevin Fiala’s goal just seconds into the third period that likely broke the home team’s spirit — a point coaches on both sides acknowledged during their post-game media scrums.
Also of note, forward Alex Turcotte was on the receiving end of a hit along the boards by Nashville’s Jeremy Lauzon late in the second period. After some initial concern, Turcotte did eventually play another shift or two in the middle frame. However, he did not return for the final period of regulation. His status for Tuesday’s game in Minnesota remains unknown at this time, although Hiller offered brief comments on the situation in the video below.
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