Rittich made 23 saves in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Devils.
The Kings were thoroughly outplayed all night, managing to get only 13 shots on net against Jacob Markstrom, but Rittich kept his squad in the game until Jack Hughes broke a 1-1 tie with about seven minutes left in the third period. It was only the second time since the beginning of November that Rittich had allowed more than two goals, and over his last 12 appearances, he's gone 7-4-0 with a 2.16 GAA and .902 save percentage. However, since Darcy Kuemper is healthy again, Rittich seems ticketed to return to the No. 2 role.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Expected to start Thursday
Rotowire
Rittich is set to guard the road goal against New Jersey on Thursday, per Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.
Rittich has won his past two starts while stopping 46 of 50 shots (.920 save percentage). He's 10-6-0 with a 2.45 GAA and an .891 save percentage across 17 outings in 2024-25. New Jersey ranks 10th in goals per game with 3.32.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Backstops comeback win
Rotowire
Rittich stopped 26 of 28 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Stars.
The Stars scored twice in the first period, but Rittich shut the door after that, and the Kings got enough depth offense for a comeback win. This was his fifth win in his last nine outings (eight starts). Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) returned from injured reserve in the backup role Wednesday, but Rittich has played well enough to hold onto a decent share of playing time. He's now 10-6-0 with a 2.45 GAA and an .891 save percentage over 17 appearances this season. The Kings' next game is Saturday at home versus the Wild.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Set to start Wednesday
Rotowire
Rittich is slated to start Wednesday's home game against the Stars, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Rittich has been relatively effective recently, and he'll draw the start for the seventh time in the Kings' last eight games. Across his last eight outings, he's logged a 4-3-0 record, 2.25 GAA and .884 save percentage.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Claims ninth win
Rotowire
Rittich stopped 20 of 22 shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Senators.
Rittich made a brief relief appearance Friday versus the Ducks, stopping two shots. That didn't impact his readiness to start Saturday, and he turned in a solid effort in another light workload. He hasn't faced more than 22 shots in any of his last six starts, and this was just the second time in that span he allowed multiple goals. He's now at a 9-6-0 record with a 2.48 GAA and an .887 save percentage through 16 appearances (14 starts). Rittich's save percentage is unlikely to go up much with such low shot totals directed at him, but he can stabilize a fantasy team's GAA while offering a good chance at wins. The Kings' next game is a tough one at home versus the Stars on Wednesday.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Expected to start Saturday
Rotowire
Rittich is set to guard the home goal against Ottawa on Saturday, according to Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.
Rittich has an 8-6-0 record, 2.52 GAA and .886 save percentage in 15 appearances this season. He limited the competition to one goal in four of five starts from Nov. 16-27, but there was a disastrous 7-2 loss to San Jose during that stretch, where he stopped just 14 of 21 shots. The Senators rank 14th in the league with 3.18 goals per game.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: In goal Wednesday
Rotowire
Rittich will start at home versus the Jets on Wednesday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Rittich allowed seven goals on 21 shots against the Sharks on Monday, but the Kings don't appear ready to give Erik Portillo a start at the NHL level. The 32-year-old Rittich will attempt to redeem himself against the league's top team, as the 18-4-0 Jets have averaged 4.05 goals per game, tied for first place in the NHL.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Ugly outing in San Jose
Rotowire
Rittich stopped 14 of 21 shots in Monday's 7-2 loss to the Sharks.
Rittich was fine through two periods, but the wheels fell off in the third, as the Sharks scored three times in a span of 3:40 early in frame and tacked on two more goals before the end of the game. Prior to Monday, Rittich had given up a total of seven goals over his previous six appearances, so this was an ugly performance by all metrics. He dropped to 7-6-0 with a 2.65 GAA and an .883 save percentage through 13 outings this season. Rittich is still the No. 1 for the Kings until Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) is cleared to return from injured reserve.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Set to guard cage verus Sharks
Rotowire
Rittich is slated to start on the road against San Jose on Monday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Rittich has given up just one goal in each of his last four appearances (three starts) but he unfortunately took a 2-2-0 record in that span. In his previous two outings against the Sharks this year, the Czechia native has gone 1-1-0 with five goals allowed on 46 shots. With Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) still on the shelf, Rittich figures to continue carrying the load for the Kings.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Sharp in seventh win
Rotowire
Rittich stopped 19 shots in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Kraken.
The 32-year-old netminder nearly recorded his first shutout of the season, but a Brandon Montour blast through traffic with less than two minutes left in the third period snuck past Rittich to end the shutout bid. Rittich has started three straight games with Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) sidelined and allowed only one goal in each, but with the Kings having called up Pheonix Copley to be the backup over unproven Erik Portillo, Rittich could get a breather as soon as Monday in San Jose.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Set to start Saturday
Rotowire
Rittich is expected to start at home against Seattle on Saturday, according to Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site.
Rittich has three wins, a 1.43 GAA and a .935 save percentage in his last five appearances. He has a 6-5-0 record, 2.37 GAA and .897 save percentage across 11 outings this season. Seattle ranks 18th in the league with 2.85 goals per game this campaign.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Good game not enough
Rotowire
Rittich stopped 18 of 19 shots in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Sabres.
Rittich was good while facing a light workload, but Jason Zucker's power-play tally early in the third period was the difference. Rittich has allowed one goal or fewer in four of his last five appearances (four starts), but he's taken two losses in that span. The 32-year-old slipped to 6-5-0 through 11 appearances while adding a 2.37 GAA and an .897 save percentage this season. Rittich will continue to see a heavy workload until Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) can return from injured reserve.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Set to start Wednesday
Rotowire
Rittich is slated to start at home against Buffalo on Wednesday, per Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider.
Rittich has a 6-4-0 record, 2.51 GAA and .892 save percentage in 10 appearances in 2024-25. He's coming off a 4-1 victory over Detroit on Saturday in which he stopped 17 of 18 shots. The Sabres rank 11th offensively with 3.33 goals per game.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Cruises to win Saturday
Rotowire
Rittich stopped 17 of 18 shots in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Rittich came within 1:27 of a shutout, but it was still a good performance for him. The 32-year-old has won three of his last four outings, the one exception being a loss in relief of Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) on Wednesday. Rittich went 3-2-0 in his previous turn as a starter when Kuemper was hurt in October. For the season, Rittich is 6-4-0 with a 2.52 GAA and an .892 save percentage over 10 contests. The Kings' system should help with shot suppression -- he's faced 30 shots in just one of his games this year. The Kings are at home versus the Sabres on Wednesday in their next contest.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Set to start Saturday
Rotowire
Rittich will protect the home goal versus the Red Wings on Saturday, Russell Morgan of Hockey Royalty reports.
Rittich starting shouldn't come as a surprise -- he'll likely see a heavy workload while Darcy Kuemper (undisclosed) is on injured reserve. Rittich took the loss in relief versus the Avalanche on Wednesday, but he won his previous two starts. Erik Portillo will serve as Rittich's backup, and considering the Kings don't have a back-to-back until after American Thanksgiving, Rittich may be in line for a significant run of starts.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Slated starter Saturday
Rotowire
Rittich is set to start in the Kings' home game versus Columbus on Saturday.
Rittich will attempt to build off his strong showing Tuesday in which he stopped 23 of 24 shots en route to a 5-1 win over Minnesota. He has a 4-3-0 record, 2.77 GAA and .884 save percentage in seven outings in 2024-25. The Blue Jackets are 5-5-2 and rank 12th offensively with 3.33 goals per game.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Allows one goal Tuesday
Rotowire
Rittich stopped 23 of 24 shots in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Wild.
The 32-year-old netminder gave up a goal midway through the second period, but he simply needed to keep Minnesota at bay the rest of the way since the Kings scored five unanswered goals to seal the win. Rittich has made seven appearances this season, and while his results have been a bit inconsistent, his 2.77 GAA is decent. He's also gone 4-3-0 with an .884 save percentage, and that latter figure could use an improvement to give the Kings a bigger sense of security between the pipes every time Darcy Kuemper is not starting.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Struggles in third loss
Rotowire
Rittich allowed three goals on 20 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Sharks. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.
Rittich never received a lead to protect, as the Kings were able to twice erase one-goal deficits but never pulled ahead. The 32-year-old has allowed at least three goals in each of his three losses. He's at a 3-3-0 record, 3.09 GAA and .870 save percentage through six appearances. He's been a bit inconsistent, though he's been pressed into more work than expected early on due Darcy Kuemper previously missing time with a lower-body injury. Look for Kuemper to get the nod Wednesday at home against the Golden Knights.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Starting against Sharks
Rotowire
Rittich will protect the road goal versus the Sharks on Tuesday, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports.
Rittich's last start came at home against the Sharks, and he earned the win with 24 saves on 26 shots. The 32-year-old netminder has gone 3-2-0 with a 3.09 GAA and an .874 save percentage over five outings this season. The Sharks have scored 23 times over 10 contests, so this is a good matchup for Rittich.
... See More... See Less
Kings' David Rittich: Allows two goals in win
Rotowire
Rittich stopped 24 of 26 shots in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Sharks.
Rittich was fine, as both goals he allowed were scored by Mikael Granlund on the power play. Rittich enjoyed a five-start run as the Kings' No. 1 netminder, but that is likely to end with Darcy Kuemper (lower body) back from injured reserve. Through five starts, Rittich is 3-2-0 with 14 goals allowed on 111 shots. He should be able to put up better results in a backup role that's likely to yield more favorable matchups -- the 32-year-old has generally taken care of business against weak opponents.
