Today was supposed to be an exciting day for Arizona Coyotes fans and players, as their number one goaltender in Darcy Kuemper was supposed to make his first start since being injured in a game back on December 19th. However, it appears that is no longer the case as it is being reported Kuemper re-injured himself in the team's pregame skate.
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It was a terrific start to the season for Kuemper, as he was easily the favourite to win the Vezina Trophy at the time he went down. Through his first 25 starts he put up an outstanding 2.17 goals against average to go with a .929 save percentage and a record of 15-8-2. Thanks to his strong play, the Coyotes were near the top of the Pacific Division. Unfortunately, they have struggled to stay afloat without their number one goalie. As of today, they sit one point back of the Calgary Flames for the final wildcard spot.
Although nothing else has been announced in terms of the severity of Kuemper's injury, it is certainly a big blow for the team. They need to get back on track to stay alive in the race, and Kuemper gives them a much better chance to do so than backup goalie Antti Raanta has. It has been confirmed Raanta will get the start tonight, and it won't be an easy one as they take on the Montreal Canadiens who are winners of three straight and have gone 7-3-0 over their last ten games played.
