Kings receive major boost with starting goaltender's return

Netminder Darcy Kuempers time on the injured reserve is ending.

The Los Angeles Kings announced theyve activated Kuemper off injured reserve and reassigned goaltender Pheonix Copley in a corresponding roster move.

This move puts Kuemper in line to make the start Thursday night as the Kings take on their rivals, the San Jose Sharks.

Kuempers been on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered during a difficult start against the Ottawa Senators on Oct.

14.

His first two starts back with the Kings organization were exceptional with Kuemper 56 of 59 shots against the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins to the tune of a .949 save percentage.

Kuemper more than doubled his goals against in the contest against Ottawa allowing eight goals on 41 shots in an overtime loss.

The teams goaltending has been a mixed bag since Kuemper went on the injured reserve.

The combination of David Rittich and Copley allowed 14 goals in four games but 12 of those goals came in two separate games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights.

Kuemper, assuming hes fully healthy, should put Los Angeles in a better position to improve upon their modest 3-2-2 start to the regular season.

Copley didnt garner any starts for Los Angeles during his emergency recall but filled in for Rittich during the teams loss to the Maple Leafs on October 16th.

He managed to stop 10 out of 12 shots in 27:29 of ice time for a .833 save percentage and 4.37 goals against average.

Hell now return to the crease for the AHLs Ontario Reign where the team has averaged four goals against per game using three netminders.

This article first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission..

This article has been shared from the original article on yardbarker, here is the link to the original article.