Darcy Kuemper suffered a neck injury in a 4-3 Los Angeles Kings victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, leaving the game after making six saves on eight shots.
The veteran — who is one of three goaltenders on Team Canada's roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan — avoided a serious injury and will be an option against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
Kuemper was run into by Rangers forward Jonny Brodzinski in the first period of the game and said he lost feeling in his arm. Anton Forsberg came into the contest in relief for the Kings, making 27 saves in the win.
“Yeah, kind of got hit on the side of my neck, and it pinched my neck and pinched the nerves, and my arm went dead,” Kuemper said of the play, per the Associated Press. “So, yeah, wasn't allowed to come back in until we did some further testing yesterday.”
The 35-year-old told AP he felt better when he woke up on Wednesday; he returned to practice on Thursday and was cleared to return on Friday. He previously missed six games with an upper-body ailment sustained against the Dallas Stars on Dec. 15.
The first-time Olympian will join Blues goalie Jordan Binnington and Washington Capitals netminder Logan Thompson in Milan next month.
Kings, Darcy Kuemper struggling in 2025-26
It's been a challenging campaign for the Kings, who are 20-16-13 and currently on the outside looking in at a postseason berth in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles has lost eight of 12 games dating back to Dec. 29 and the team are scoring just 2.57 goals per game — good for 29th in the National Hockey League.
Kuemper has also struggled as of late; in his last six outings, he's gone 0-2-3 with a 3.53 goals-against average. Overall, the 14-year NHL veteran is 12-9-9 with a 2.52 GAA and a .904 save percentage over 32 appearances in 2025-26.
The Kings are still just a point out of a playoff spot, and banking points ahead of the Olympic break will be critical in staying competitive in a crowded Pacific Division.
Things don't get any easier for Jim Hiller's club; with the Grammy Awards being hosted at Crypto.com Arena, the Kings embark on a long six-game road trip that begins in Missouri on Saturday night. After that, it'll take the club through Columbus, Detroit, Buffalo, Philadelphia and Carolina between now and Feb. 1.
Puck is set to drop on Kings-Blues just past 8:00 p.m. ET from the Enterprise Center on Saturday night.
