The Los Angeles Kings might be without their starting goaltender for some time.
No. 1 goalie Darcy Kuemper left Monday's game against the Dallas Stars early with an upper-body injury after a collision with forward Mikko Rantanen.
The incident happened in the first period as Rantanen was battling for position in front of the net. Rantanen appeared to make contact with Kuemper's head as he was skating above the crease.
The puck trickled over the ice, but the call was overturned as a result of goaltender interference. No other penalty was called.
Speaking to reporters after the game, veteran defenceman Drew Doughty said that referees explained there was no penalty because Kuemper was in the white paint, and therefore Rantanen had nowhere to go.
It's not the first time this season that Rantanen has made some controversial contact with opposing players. He received a one-game suspension in November for boarding Calgary Flames forward Matt Coronato, and New York Islanders defenceman Alexander Romanov will be out months with a shoulder injury sustained from a hit from Rantanen.
"Yeah, it was unfortunate," Rantanen told media after the game, via Stars beat reporter Robert Tiffin. "I was driving the net, and thought my route was top of the blue (crease). Dumoulin was there kind of pushing me that way. I didn't see (Kuemper) was top of the blue."
Kuemper, who received his first Vezina Trophy finalist nod last season as the NHL's best goaltender, continues to put up all-star performances between the pipes in his second season with the Kings. The 35-year-old has a .917 save percentage and 2.19 goals-against average.
