Arizona Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan recorded a career high in shutouts with five on Sunday as the Coyotes defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-0 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. For Kuemper it was also his 16th career National Hockey League shutout as he has seven career shutouts with the Wild, six career shutouts with the Coyotes and three with the Los Angeles Kings.
In the Coyotes win over the Wild on Sunday, Kuemper made 11 saves in the first period, 12 saves in the second period and 16 saves in the third period for 39 saves overall. From an offensive perspective, another player from Saskatchewan came up big for the Coyotes as Josh Archibald of Regina had two goals and one assist for three points.
It has been a marvelous season for Kuemper. In 53 games, he has a record of 26 wins, 19 regulation losses, eight losses in extra time, a goals against average of 2.34 and a save percentage of .924. Kuemper’s four other shutouts this season came in a 5-0 Coyotes win over the New York Rangers on January 6, in a 2-0 Coyotes win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 16, in a 2-0 Coyotes win over the Calgary Flames on March 7 and in a 1-0 Coyotes win over the Chicago Blackhawks on March 26.
More importantly thanks to Kuemper, the Coyotes have a chance of reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2012. The Coyotes are one point back of the Colorado Avalanche for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
