Wild's Kuemper to start in goal in opener

Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo named Darcy Kuemper the starting goaltender for the season opener Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche, according to the team's official Twitter account.

"Real excited, obviously, I think everyone is," Kuemper told the Wild website. "We need to go out there and do what we can to get the win."

Kuemper was 12-8-4 with a 2.43 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 26 games as a rookie last season and saw extensive action in their Western Conference First Round series against the Colorado Avalanche before he was injured in Game 7.