The new year was not a sign of great generosity for Darcy Kuemper.
The goaltender stopped all 33 shots he faced Wednesday night to help the Los Angeles Kings shut out the New Jersey Devils 3-0 in the first NHL game of 2025.
It was Kuemper’s second shutout this season, tying his record for saves in a game in 2024-25. The 34-year-old goalkeeper hasn’t lost in regulation since November 11, posting a 6-0-2 record.
It was the Kings’ eighth straight home win, tying the Kings’ third-longest streak in franchise history.
Andre Lee took advantage of the victory to score the first goal of his NHL career, while Adrian Kempe and Quinton Byfield also scored in the game.
Lee, 24, took a long pass from Jordan Spence midway through the middle period and then beat Jake Allen with a perfect shot from the glove side to give his team a 1-0 lead.
Then in the middle of the third period, Kempe took advantage of a counter-attack to hit the puck behind Allen and double his team’s lead. Byfield completed the score in an empty cage.
Allen finished the game with 21 saves for the Devils, who lost a third straight game.
Despite this three-game losing streak, the Devils are still in second place in the Metropolitan Division thanks to a 24-14-3 record in 41 games.
The Kings also find themselves in second place in their division (Pacific) with a record of 22-10-5 in 37 games.
Swiss
