It’s been less than a month since the season started and the Los Angeles Kings played the Chicago Blackhawks in their fourth afternoon game so far.
It’s mind-blowing that the Kings somehow lost 4-3 to the Blackhawks in a shootout. They dominated the entire game, barely giving the Hawks anything, yet somehow blew a two-goal lead and then allowed Tyler Bertuzzi to tie it up with 30 seconds left to go in regulation.
The Kings played exactly how they needed to against the last-place Blackhawks in order to pick up two points. They were the better team in all areas of the ice, spent most of the game in the offensive zone with the Blackhawks on their heels and put pucks to the net outshooting Chicago 40-21.
They were all over the Blackhawks but they just couldn’t find a way to increase their lead by more than two goals which allowed them to remain in the game despite not generating anything substantial.
Kuemper’s Collapse Late Cost the Kings 2 Points
It was one of those games where you could say the reason the Kings lost was because of goaltending. They were a step ahead all game yet the Blackhawks managed to claw their way back tying the game twice. It wasn’t that they allowed them to get back into the game but it was the fact that they were opportunistic.
Darcy Kuemper didn’t have that much action at all throughout the game, especially in the first two periods only needing to stop eight shots. The third period was where the Blackhawks started to put more pucks on net and it was a rough 20 minutes for Kuemper as he let in three goals on 11 shots. The way the Blackhawks got their first goal and allowed them to build off of something was what made it even worse. Nick Foligno’s weak low-danger shot trickled past Kuemper and it wasn’t until out of an act of desperation he flung his glove hand back forcing the puck over the goal line. The second goal was from the top of the circle, Craig Smith’s release was too quick for Kuemper and he reacted too late allowing the Blackhawks to tie the game.
Related: LA Kings Game Notes: Full 60-Minute Effort Earns 6-3 Win Over Golden Knights
While the third goal wasn’t an awful one that Kuemper let in, he allowed the play to develop by not clearing the puck hard enough. He tried to rim the puck around the boards but was unable to get it past Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones and seconds later Bertuzzi found the back of the net.
Kuemper was lucky in OT when…
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