One of the biggest question marks entering the season for the Los Angeles Kings was going to be goaltending. The Kings lost Cam Talbot in free agency and would bring back David Rittich on a one-year deal and trade for Darcy Kuemper.
The hope was that Kuemper could be the replacement but he was coming off a few disappointing seasons with the Washington Capitals. The veteran got off to a great start to begin the season with 56 saves on 59 shots through the first two games.
However, the Kings elected to have Kuemper start the third game of the season and Kuemper really struggled as he allowed eight goals on 41 shots. Since that game, Kuemper has not been back on the ice as he is dealing with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day.
In the interim, David Rittich has started the last two games and wasn't even able to finish his first start after allowing four goals before being replaced midway through the second period against the Toronto Maple Leafs by Pheonix Copley.
Rittich would return the next night against the Montreal Canadiens and after giving up a shaky goal in the first period bounced back and finished strong.
Grading the Los Angeles Kings goaltending through five games: C-
It is tough to give a decent grade for the performances of Darcy Kuemper and David Rittich because it hasn't been all bad but has been incredibly inconsistent. There have been plenty of positives, like the first two games from Kuemper and the way Rittich finished against the Canadiens.
However, when looking at last seasons stats compared to this year they are trending in the wrong direction. The Kings are allowing one more goal per game this season, 3.6, compared to last year, 2.56, and dropped from third down to 21st in that category.
One big contributing factor to the struggles this season is a significant bump in terms of shots the Kings are allowing. Last year, the Kings allowed the fourth fewest shots on goal but through five games opposing teams have 153 shots, which is the sixth-highest total in the NHL.
It will be interesting to see what this group can do once Kuemper returns but it wouldn't be surprising if the Kings end trading for a goaltender at some point this season.