Darcy Kuemper of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan notched his 29th National Hockey League shutout on Sunday. He made 38 saves as the Washington Capitals blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Kuemper made 12 saves in the first period, 12 saves in the second period and 14 saves in the third period. Patrik Laine led the Blue Jackets in the game with nine shots on goal. Erik Gustafsson scored the only goal for the Capitals at 2:43 of the opening frame. That means no goals were scored for the final 57 minutes and 17 seconds of the game.
This was Kuemper’s fourth shutout of the 2022-23 NHL regular season. He previously blanked the Nashville Predators 3-0 on October 29, the Calgary Flames 3-0 on November 25 and the New York Rangers 4-0 on December 27.
Kuemper’s four shutouts are now most in the NHL this season. Of his 29 career shutouts, 10 have been with the Arizona Coyotes, seven with the Minnesota Wild, five with the Colorado Avalanche, four with the Washington Capitals, and three with the Los Angeles Kings.
Kuemper has a record of 12 wins, nine regulation losses and four losses in extra time this season. He has a goals against average of 2.45 and a save percentage of .920. The Capitals are in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 23 wins, 14 regulation losses and six losses in extra time for 52 points.
