Trapped in the long shadow of the greatest goalie on the planet, Darcy Kuemper is The Other Guy, casting such serious doubt on the Avalanche’s chance to win the Stanley Cup it can tie a cast-iron stomach in knots.
“He’s the best goalie in the world,” Kuemper said Wednesday night, saluting Tampa Bay counterpart Andrei Vasilevskiy. “I can’t worry about trying to outplay him.”
During opening night of this championship series, Kuemper looked uncertain on his skates. He let a seeing-eye goal through a hole in his glove. He blew a two-goal lead. Twice. He reminds me of Scooby Doo, because every time he faces a shot, it can be a misadventure.