Arizona Coyotes’ Darcy Kuemper injured while making save vs. Minnesota Wild

Arizona Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper caused a scare Thursday night when he was injured while making a save during his team’s 8-5 loss to the Minnesota Wild.

Kuemper was down in his crease for several moments before Arizona medical staff and teammate Jakob Chychrun helped him off the ice. The netminder appeared to leave the game in significant pain — he was heard yelling in frustration and slammed his blocker to the ice as he exited the playing surface.

Arizona coach Rick Tocchet did not have an update on Kuemper’s status after the game.

The Coyotes, who lead the Pacific Division with 44 points through Dec. 19, owe much of their success this season to Kuemper. His .929 save percentage and 2.17 goals-against average are second among NHL goalies who have played at least 20 games. Arizona is allowing just 2.33 goals per game, second-best among the league’s 31 teams, despite allowing 32 shots per game, 11th-most in the NHL.

Thursday’s loss was not Kuemper’s finest moment of the season — he allowed seven goals on 32 shots before leaving — but his play otherwise has made him a contender for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender.

A long-term injury absence for Kuemper could deal a blow to his team’s playoff chances. The Coyotes have not made the playoffs since 2012 and general manager John Chayka this week traded for star forward Taylor Hall, signaling the franchise’s desire to make a deep postseason run in 2020.