The Capitals, losers of four straight, will return to Kuemper on Tuesday when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a three-game winning streak where Kuemper allowed two goals or less in each game, Kuemper has allowed five goals in consecutive games, both losses, posting an ugly .833 SV%. The Capitals are +151 road underdogs against the Penguins, who have outscored their opposition 14-3 during a three-game winning streak.
Guttman will re-enter the lineup to centre Chicago's fourth-line against the Stars on Friday. He has two goals and one assist in 15 games this season.
Booth has signed his first professional contract, a three-year, entry-level deal with the King with an AAV of $852,500. The 19-year-old was the 116th overall pick of the Kings in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has 14 points (2G / 12A) in 29 games with the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL.
Guttman will be a healthy scratch and return to the press box as Tyler Johnson (undisclosed) will return to the lineup. Guttman registered 8:02 time-on-ice, one shot, and one hit entering the lineup in favour of Johnson on December 23rd.
Kuemper did not play the last two games before the Christmas break for the Capitals but seems to be turning the corner on a terrible start to the 2023-24 campaign. In his first 13 games (5-6-2), Kuemper posted an ugly .887 SV% but is boasting a stellar .947 SV% in three games since (3-0-0), riding three consecutive quality starts for the first time this season. That said, the Capitals are sizeable +181 road underdogs against a New York Rangers team that has won four of their last five outings (4-1-0).
Guttman will play in place of the injured Tyler Johnson (undisclosed). Guttman has two goals and one assist in 14 games this season.
Guttman is expected to be a healthy scratch on Friday, allowing Philipp Kurashev (illness) to return to the lineup after a one-game absence. Guttman has appeared in nine straight games for the Blackhawks and has three points (2G / 1A), 18 shots, and eight blocks through 14 games on the season.
On the front end of a back-to-back for the Capitals, Kuemper will start for the second straight game. Kuemper is riding consecutive quality starts and wins for only the second time this season, and will look for his first three-game winning streak on Wednesday. The 33-year-old netminder has saved 60 of the last 63 shots he has faced (.952 SV%). The Capitals are -114 home favourites against a New York Islanders team that has been scoring at an impressive rate lately, averaging 4.1 goals per game over their last 11 contests (7-2-2). Kuemper allowed three goals on 21 shots (.857 SV%) in a losing effort to the Islanders last month.
After being a healthy scratch at the end of November, Kuzmenko played 10 consecutive games but will again be a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. In those 10 games, Kuzmenko has three points (3G / 0A) and is averaging only 13:53 time-on-ice, a significant drop from the 15:24 he was averaging in the 19 games leading up to then.
Moving Copley to LTIR means that Copley will be out a minimum of 10 games or 24 days. With Copley out, the Kings have recalled David Rittich from the AHL and he will serve as their No.2 behind Cam Talbot.
Forsberg will draw back into the Senators' crease for the first time since December 7th as Ottawa is set to play their second game in as many nights. Forsberg took the loss his last time out, allowing four goals on 22 shots enroute to a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old netminder has endured a rocky start to his 2023-24 campaign, posting an .885 SV% and a 3.03 GAA. He draws another difficult assignment on Friday as the Senators find themselves as +185 underdogs in Dallas.
If Copley has to miss any time this season, the Kings will likely recall David Rittich, who has spent the entire season with the Ontario Reign (AHL), posting a 2.63 GAA and .901 SV% in 16 games (7-6-3). In any event, Cam Talbot should continue to see the lion's share of action between the pipes as he continues to have an exceptional season.
Moverare had five assists, six PIMs and a +1 plus/minus in 16 games played with Ontario (AHL) to start the season but will make his season debut with the Los Angeles Kings Wednesday as he replaces Vladislav Gavrikov. The 25-year-old defensemen appeared in two games for the Kings in 2022-23, failing to pick up a point.
