Kuemper turned aside 41 of 44 shots in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes, with Carolina's final goal getting scored into an empty net.
Alex Ovechkin was the only Capitals skater who seemed aware the team was fighting for a playoff spot, and Kuemper was hung out to dry as his team got outshot 45-16 on the night. Even so, he kept things close and didn't give up the lead until Carolina potted two power-play tallies in the third period. The 33-year-old netminder hasn't won a game since Feb. 26, making only four appearances and giving up 14 goals on 107 shots (.869 save percentage). With Charlie Lindgren struggling too of late, the duo could be moving into a timeshare as coach Spencer Carbery tries to find something that works.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Set to face Hurricanes
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Kuemper is expected to start on the road against Carolina on Friday, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports.
Kuemper has a 13-13-3 record, 3.32 GAA and .888 save percentage in 32 outings in 2023-24. This will be his first start since March 22, when he stopped just 18 of 22 shots in 39:54 of ice time before being pulled en route to a 7-6 shootout win over the Hurricanes. Although Washington won that contest, given how Kuemper performed on a personal level, he'll be entering this rematch with something to prove. The Hurricanes, who rank eighth offensively this year with 3.34 goals per game, will be a challenging adversary.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Makes relief appearance in Buffalo
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Kuemper turned aside all four shots he faced after replacing Charlie Lindgren early in the third period of Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Sabres. Lindgren was credited with the defeat.
Buffalo struck three times in the first six minutes of the third to chase Lindgren from the game, forcing Kuemper into action. The 33-year-old Kuemper has made only two starts since the beginning of March, and he got the hook himself in one of them. His 3.32 GAA and .888 save percentage on the season are far from impressive. The Capitals are hanging onto the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by their fingernails, but there's been no indication Kuemper will see a bigger workload down the stretch.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Gets hook Friday
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Kuemper allowed four goals on 22 shots before being replaced by Charlie Lindgren to begin the third period in Friday's 7-6 shootout win over the Hurricanes.
It was a tough night for the goalies in general, but at least Kuemper managed to avoid taking a loss after exiting the game with Washington facing a 4-3 deficit heading into the second intermission. It was only Kuemper's third start since Feb. 20, and he's done little to show that he deserves an increased workload, giving up 14 goals on 80 shots (.825 save percentage) in those three outings.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Gets starting nod
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Kuemper is expected to get the home start versus Carolina on Friday, Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network reports.
Kuemper struggled in his last start, giving up seven goals on 37 shots in a loss to the Oilers on Mar. 13. Kuemper is 13-13-3 with a 3.29 GAA and an .890 save percentage and has lost the No. 1 gig in Washington to Charlie Lindgren. The Hurricanes are averaging 3.39 goals, eighth in the NHL.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Gives up seven in Edmonton
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Kuemper gave up seven goals on 37 shots in Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the Oilers.
It was a brutal night for Kuemper in his first start since Feb. 26. Edmonton scored three times in the opening frame and twice in the subsequent two periods, sticking the 33-year-old netminder with the loss. Kuemper falls to 13-13-3 on the season with an .890 save percentage and 3.29 GAA. Charlie Lindgren is expected to be back in net Thursday when the Caps visit Seattle.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: In goal versus Oilers
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Kuemper was the first goalie to leave the ice at morning skate, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports, indicating he'll be in goal on the road versus Edmonton on Wednesday.
Kuemper will be between the pipes for the first time since Feb. 26, a stretch of six games on the bench. The veteran backstop has just 13 victories this season and will be hard-pressed to reach the 20-win mark for the third straight campaign after conceding the starting job to Charlie Lindgren earlier in the year.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Expected to back up Saturday
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Kuemper (illness) is expected to be well enough to back up Charlie Lindgren on Saturday versus Chicago, accordong to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
Kuemper was slated to get the start Thursday versus Pittsburgh, but he was too ill to dress. Kuemper is 13-12-3 with a 3.15 GAA and an .893 save percentage in 2023-24.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Unavailable Thursday
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Kuemper won't play Thursday versus Pittsburgh because of an illness.
Kuemper has a 13-12-3 record, 3.15 GAA and .893 save percentage in 29 outings this season. Charlie Lindgren is expected to start against the Penguins while Hunter Shepard, who was called up from AHL Hershey, will serve as the backup goaltender.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Game-time decision
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Kuemper is dealing with an illness and will be a game-time decision versus Pittsburgh on Thursday, according to Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post.
Kuemper was unavailable for the morning skate. He was expected to get the start Thursday but that's now up in the air and Charlie Lindgren could be between the pipes in Pittsburgh. Kuemper has won his last two starts, upping his record to 13-12-3 this season.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Gets starting nod for Thursday
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Kuemper will be between the pipes on the road against the Penguins on Thursday, Tom Gulitti of NHL.com reports.
Kuemper has played in just one of the Caps' last seven contests and has clearly fallen behind Charlie Lindgren for the starting job. At this point, the 33-year-old Kuemper figures to miss the 20-win mark for the first time in three years and is currently sporting the second worst GAA (3.15) of his 12-year NHL career.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Stops 18 shots in win
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Kuemper allowed three goals on 21 shots in Monday's 6-3 victory over Ottawa.
Kuemper allowed a pair of goals in the first period and another to Brady Tkachuk early in the second. However, the 33-year-old netminder would eventually settle in and blank the Senators from there en route to the 6-3 win. While Kuemper's only started twice in Washington's last five contests, he's now won back-to-back outings to improve to 13-12-3 with an .893 save percentage and 3.15 GAA on the year. Charlie Lindgren will likely get the starting nod Tuesday when the Capitals visit Detroit.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Slated to start
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Kuemper was the first goalie off the ice at morning skate, according to The Hockey News, putting him on track to guard the home goal versus the Senators on Monday.
Kuemper was decent in his last appearance Feb. 17 against the Canadiens, stopping 28 of 31 shots en route to a 4-3 victory. The 33-year-old netminder will try to secure his 13th win of the season in a favorable home matchup with a Ottawa team that's 8-14-1 on the road this year.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Hangs on for win
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Kuemper stopped 28 of 31 shots in Saturday's 4-3 victory over Montreal.
The Canadiens tied the game 3-3 in the third period before Washington answered with an Aliaksei Protas goal later in the frame, giving Kuemper his first win since Jan. 16. The 33-year-old netminder had gone 0-2-1 with an .888 save percentage in four appearances prior to Saturday's start. Overall, Kuemper is 12-12-3 with an .894 save percentage and 3.16 GAA while splitting work with Charlie Lindgren this season. The Caps are back in action Tuesday at home versus the Devils.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Starting in Montreal
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Kuemper will guard the road net Saturday against the Canadiens, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports.
Kuemper hasn't earned a win since Jan. 16, as he's gone 0-2-1 with an .888 save percentage over his last four outings. Overall, he's 11-12-3 with an .894 save percentage and 3.17 GAA on the season. The 33-year-old netminder will look to bounce back against a Montreal team averaging 2.78 goals per game.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Comes up short in overtime
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Kuemper stopped 26 of 29 shots in Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canucks.
Kuemper can't be blamed too much for the defeat -- the second goal was a brilliant backhander from Nils Hoglander and the game-winner came on a Capitals turnover that J.T. Miller converted. Nonetheless, Kuemper dropped to 0-2-1 with 13 goals allowed over his last four appearances. The 33-year-old is 11-12-3 with a 3.17 GAA and an .894 save percentage through 27 outings overall. Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren have been alternating starts coming out of the All-Star break, though neither is appealing in weekly formats with the Capitals scheduled for just two games in the next seven days.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Tending twine Sunday
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Kuemper will protect the home net Sunday versus Vancouver, per Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network.
During his last outing, Kuemper stopped 37 of 40 shots in a 4-2 loss to Florida on Thursday. He will get the second half of Washington's back-to-back after Charlie Lindgren posted an 18-save shutout win over Boston on Saturday. Kuemper has earned a record of 11-12-2 this season with one shutout, a 3.18 GAA and an .894 save percentage over 26 appearances. The Canucks rank first in the league with 3.69 goals per contest this campaign.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Strong in loss
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Kuemper made 37 saves in a 4-2 loss to the Panthers on Thursday. He allowed three goals.
Kuemper was the busier of Thursday's two goaltenders -- opponent Sergei Bobrovsky made just 20 saves. And Kuemper was the reason the game was as tight as it was. It was a strong performance, but a rare one for the struggling goalie. Kuemper has lost the starter's gig, and since the December holiday break, he is 3-7-0 with one shutout and 35 goals allowed. He has allowed five goals in four of those losses. You may want to go with a different option in your blue paint until the Caps find their game again.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Thrust into duty
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Kuemper entered Tuesday's game versus Montreal in the first period after starter Charlie Lindgren was pulled. Kuemper made 15 saves in relief.
After Charlie Lindgren allowed three goals halfway into the first period, Kuemper came off the bench to take over in the net. He was decent in relief but didn't get any offensive support from his teammates. Kuemper ended the game with 15 saves on 17 shots for an .882 save percentage in 46:51 TOI. A starter has yet to be announced in net for Washington's road game against the Panthers on Thursday.
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Capitals' Darcy Kuemper: Struggles vs. Wild
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Kuemper allowed five goals on 30 shots in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to Minnesota.
Kuemper couldn't recover after allowing a pair of goals early in the first period, as he took the loss in just his second start in Washington's last six games. The 33-year-old Kuemper is now 11-11-2 on the season with an .892 save percentage and a 3.21 GAA, as he continues to cede playing time to Charlie Lindgren. Lindgren will get the starting nod Wednesday in Colorado, meaning Kuemper's next start could come Saturday on the road versus the Stars.
