By: Justin Gincauskas
Los Angeles Kings goaltender Pheonix Copley has been placed on long-term injured reserve Sunday with a lower-body injury.
The 31-year-old suffered the injury during Friday’s practice and did not travel with the team for their game against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday. Los Angeles defeated the Kraken 3-2 in a shootout.
By being placed on long-term injured reserve, Copley will miss at least 10 games. Copley has appeared in eight games this season, going 4-1-2 with a .870 save percentage. He has a goals-against average of 3.16 and recorded his only shutout of the season on Nov. 25 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Cam Talbot has served as the starting goaltender for the Kings this season. In 20 games played, he has a record of 13-5-2 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage.
Copley had a significant role last year with the Kings when they finished third in the Pacific Division with 104 points. He went 24-6-3 in 35 starts and had a 2.64 goals-against average. In 76 career NHL games, Copley has a 2.83 goals against average and a .899 save percentage.
The Kings are one of the top teams in the league this season. They currently sit third in the Pacific Division but are only six points back of the Vancouver Canucks for second with five games in hand. In their last 10 games, Los Angeles is 6-3-1. They are also the best road team in the NHL, with a record of 12-1-1 away from home.
With Copley out for an extended period of time, David Rittich will step in to serve as the backup goaltender. Rittich started 18 games with the Winnipeg Jets last season and had a .901 save percentage. He signed a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Kings in the offseason.
***
Click here for more NHL content.
Follow Fantom Sports on Twitter!
Invest in your favorite athletes with Prediction Stike! Use code FANTOM when you sign up.