The Washington Capitals got back in the win column on Tuesday night. Washington faced an Anaheim Ducks team that was coming off a win their last time out. However, the Ducks failed to get a puck past Darcy Kuemper on Tuesday as they lost for the 10th time in their last 13 games.
After the game, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery spoke about his goalie’s performance. It marked the first shutout of the season for Kuemper, who made 12 saves in the third period alone in the win against Anaheim.
“I thought he was excellent tonight and exactly what we needed,” Carbery said of Kuemper, via NHL.com. “In the beginning, we weren’t executing with the puck at a really high level offensively, so we needed him to keep that clean. A huge shutout for him.”
Capitals’ Darcy Kuemper stands tall vs. Ducks
The Capitals opened the scoring in the final minute of the first period. Defenseman Ethan Bear scored his first goal as a member of the team to give Washington the lead. And that goal was all Kuemper needed. He went on to make 24 saves on the night as the Capitals won 2-0.
“You forget how that feeling feels,” Bear said of his goal, via NHL.com. “It’s definitely nice to get that out of the way, and now I can just have fun and not think about it.”
The Ducks peppered Kuemper with shots in the final frame as they searched for a tying goal. However, the veteran Capitals puck-stopped held his own to earn his 11th victory of the season.
The Capitals are pushing for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And Kuemper’s shutout certainly provides a massive boost for Washington as the race heats up. Washington takes the ice again on Thursday as they take on the St. Louis Blues.
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