The Capitals are giving Darcy Kuemper a big chance to show his worth against the Oilers.
The Washington Capitals know that a lot lies on Wednesday's game against the Edmonton Oilers, and for Darcy Kuemper, it holds even more weight as it presents him with his biggest task of the year.
Kuemper is set to start for Washington against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the high-flying Oilers. Charlie Lindgren will back up but will be back in action soon as the team faces the Seattle Kraken just 24 hours later.
For head coach Spencer Carbery, it wasn't an easy choice to go with Kuemper first, but he sees it as a good challenge and opportunity for the 34-year-old netminder, who hasn't played the last six games with Lindgren on a hot streak.
"Chucky's been outstanding, as has been well-documented, but Darcy as a product, it's been unfortunate because he hasn't been playing as much as he would like. But that's a product of how well Chucky was playing and I've said that a bunch," Carbery said. "Darc now gets an opportunity to come in and play in a huge hockey game for our team on the road against a great team and a good opportunity for him to step up big for our group."
In 29 games this season for the Capitals, Kuemper is 13-12-3 with a .893 save percentage, 3.15 GAA and one shutout. He last played on Feb. 26 against the Ottawa Senators, stopping 18 of 21 shots en route to a 6-3 win. He does possess a good record throughout his career against Pacific Division opponents, with a .928 save percentage and 13 shutouts over 117 career games.
Puck drop is at 10 p.m. at Rogers Place. D.C. is three points out of a Wild Card spot in the East.
Ultimately, the game gives Kuemper a chance to get back in the mix and gives Lindgren some rest after a long string of starts, and it also provides the veteran with an opportunity to capture two big points for his group.