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Darcy Kuemper, Kings stifle Alex Ovechkin and Capitals

March 14, 2025

LOS ANGELES — There were more plotlines than goals scored for the Kings and Washington Capitals on Thursday night, but when the final horn sounded, a resounding statement win for the black and silver was the only headline.

They blanked the Eastern Conference leaders, 3-0, with former Cap Darcy Kuemper recording his third shutout as a King this season after being traded for embattled center Pierre-Luc Dubois last summer.

Kuemper’s shutout signified that Alex Ovechkin drew no nearer to Kings legend Wayne Gretzky’s career NHL goals record: The Great 8 remained nine shy of surpassing The Great One and recorded no shots on goal for the first time since Washington’s season opener. It also meant that the fans at Crypto.com Arena heckling Dubois made more noise in the stands than he did on the ice, though Kings coach Jim Hiller said there was no ill will whatsoever toward Dubois inside his dressing room.

With the win, the Kings leapfrogged the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division, and also chalked up a home victory against each of this year’s Presidents’ Trophy favorites for the NHL’s best record. They beat the West-leading Jets twice, on Nov. 27 at home and Jan. 10 in Winnipeg. On home ice, they are 10-0-0 against the other 11 teams currently occupying a non-wild-card playoff spot in either conference.

“Tonight, we showed we are one of the (top clubs in the NHL), we beat the best team in the league, and I don’t think they had anything,” Kevin Fiala said with emphasis. “The belief is here.”

Warren Foegele scored a goal, his 200th career point. Fiala converted on a critical power play to open the third period and then spoonfed running mate Quinton Byfield for an insurance marker that secured two massive points. Kuemper stopped all 21 shots he faced.

Charlie Lindgren got the nod in net for Washington, making 24 saves.

It was the first return to Los Angeles for Dubois and defenseman Matt Roy since the former was dealt to D.C. and the latter signed in Washington as a free agent. The Kings opted for a combined video tribute in the first period, which swung the crowd’s attention between appreciation for Roy one moment and tempered disdain for Dubois the next.

There was also a mix of jeers and sarcastic cheers in the second period, when Dubois was whistled for a holding penalty, and each touch of the puck by No. 80 prompted a bit of razzing as well. Dubois, however, is still enjoying a career season.

Roy was a seventh-round draft pick that in 2022 was voted the Kings’ best defenseman, while Dubois’ trajectory was the complete opposite. He demanded a hefty sum in terms of both trade assets and contract dollars two offseasons ago, only to disappoint vastly and prompt the Kings to pound the eject button, swapping him for Kuemper.

Thursday, Kuemper allowed the Kings to clog up the game as they went nearly 28 minutes between goals and slowed the pace for most of them, waiting patiently for their early third-period opportunities. Kuemper was asked if Ovechkin’s “GR8 Chase” was on his or his teammates’ minds.

“When it gets down to just a couple to go, it’ll be a little bit more on people’s minds. You never know, but we were confident he wouldn’t get all nine tonight,” Kuemper responded, prompting laughter.

With the game up for grabs heading into the third period, the Kings seized control. They tallied twice, 47 seconds apart, at 1:05 and 1:52, to seal the Caps’ fate and interrupt their string of five straight wins.

One giveaway deserved another as the Kings turned the puck over in the Caps’ zone, only to steal it right back, setting the stage for Fiala’s two-on-one dish for Byfield in the inner part of the right circle for his 16th goal of the season.

“He’s a grown man now, he’s huge and he uses his body. He’s fast, he can shoot the puck, he can pass, he can see the ice and I try to give my creativity to him, talk to him a lot on the bench. It’s great, it’s a give-and-take [relationship],” Fiala said.

Fiala had given the Kings a bit of security with a one-timer from the right circle on the power play from the right faceoff dot, his 25th goal of 2024-25.

In the first 40 minutes of action, the near misses abounded for both teams – Washington’s Taylor Raddysh had another particularly hellish night in terms of puck luck after the same happened in Anaheim during Tuesday’s 7-4 victory over the Ducks – but the Kings escaped with a 1-0 edge.

The Kings got the better of the first period, carrying a one-shot advantage and, more importantly, a one-goal lead into the first intermission, despite having to kill a pair of penalties. The Kings negated 13 straight infractions across two games. They went 8 for 8 on the PK against the New York Islanders on Tuesday and 5 for 5 against the Capitals and Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leader in man-advantage markers. He seldom if ever touched the puck on Thursday, thanks to what Capitals defenseman John Carlson called a “high-pressure team” while shorthanded.

Foegele picked up his 19th goal of the season, 13:08 after puck dropped. Phil Danault’s slap shot almost went through Lindgren, before Danault and Trevor Moore went to work below the goal line, finding Foegele in front for the game’s first strike.

The Kings will look to extend their surge to five straight wins when the Nashville Predators visit on Saturday.

Orange County Register

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Darcy Kuemper, Kings stifle Alex Ovechkin and Capitals

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