Darcy Kuemper's playoff debut did not start well. The Minnesota Wild goaltender was thrown into the fire to open the second period of Game 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks after Josh Harding, himself a replacement for Niklas Backstrom, left the game with an injury.
Wild vs. Blackhawks Game 4 update: Darcy Kuemper gives up goal on first playoff shot
Thrown into the game cold, Darcy Kuemper gave up a goal on his first shot before settling down.
Hannah Foslien
Here is what happened on the first shot Kuemper faced:
That quickly quieted Wild fans, who were already dealing with the shock of seeing their second goalie injury of the series.
Kuemper settled down after that one, Patrick Sharp's second goal of the game. Kuemper made 10 saves the rest of the period, but the Wild entered the second intermission trailing 2-0.
This isn’t the first time Kuemper has faced the Blackhawks. He stopped 14 of 15 shots in relief duty (of Backstrom) in a 5-3 Wild loss on March 6.
The Wild lost Harding on this play, where Jonathan Toews rushed to the net, forcing a stretch from Harding before landing on top of him:
The Wild were outshot 17-13 through two periods. A failure to rally in the third period would mean falling behind 3-1 in the series, with Game 5 in Chciago.
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