The Los Angeles Kings activated Darcy Kuemper off injured reserve this week and sent Erik Portillo back down to the Ontario Reign. When healthy, Kuemper has been the starter for the Los Angeles Kings this season but over this second stint on injured reserve, David Rittich has made a really strong case that he should remain the starter.
This season, Rittich has started 15 games for the Kings and has a 10-6 record with a save percentage of .891 and a goals against average of 2.45. Meanwhile, Kuemper has started 10 games with a 4-2-3 record with a save percentage of .899 and 2.65 goals against average.
Even diving into the analytics on Money Puck, Kuemper and Rittich have very similar metrics to date.
However, there is one big difference between the two goalies when looking at their stats to date and why the Kings should stick with David Rittich as the starter. In 15 starts, Rittich has four games with three or more goals but has seven games with one or fewer goals. Meanwhile, Kuemper in 10 starts has four games with three or more goals but only two games with 1 or fewer goals.
In those starts, Rittich is averaging only 22 shots per game while Kuemper is closer to 26 shots per game. That certainly has to be considered and the Kings have gotten better over the past few weeks in limiting shots on net and there is a chance that Kuemper could have similar success to Rittich with an improved defense in front of him.
Darcy Kuemper expected to get the start for the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild
The Los Angeles Kings had David Rittich start on Wednesday against the Dallas Stars after Kuemper was activated on injured reserve. This likely means that Darcy Kuemper will get the start against the Minnesota Wild over the weekend. It will be a good comparison for the two goalies as these two teams currently are in the Top 12 in goals scored.
While Darcy Kuemper began the season as the starter, his performance in the games he has played hasn't been significantly better than Rittich. Meanwhile, David Rittich has been great (outside of the game against the San Jose Sharks) over the past few weeks, and it should at least be a consideration for Jim Hiller to keep Rittich as the starter.