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Despite the loss, the Kings have won seven of their last 11 versus Minnesota and four of six at Xcel Energy Center.
(Sports Network) - The Los Angeles Kings know they have some work to do if they want to be a playoff-caliber club. Three straight victories prior to the All-Star break was a good start. The Kings hope to win four straight for the first time in over a month as they visit the Minnesota Wild and Xcel Energy Center. Los Angeles closed out its pre-All-Star Game schedule with three straight wins on the heels of a 2-10 span that included a 2-6 homestand. Its final game before the break was a 3-2 shootout win over San Jose on Wednesday, won on Jarret Stoll's fourth-round tally.
"It's huge, absolutely," Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick told his team's website. "We need wins. We need two points. We dug a little hole for ourselves, and I think we've done a good job of starting to climb back out, but we still have a lot of work to do." The Kings now go for their first four-game win streak since Dec. 21-27 in the opener of a mammoth 10-game road trip.
Perhaps a lengthy swing will help the Kings get back on track as they won't play in front of their home fans again until Feb. 24. They begin this swing tied for 10th in the Western Conference with the Wild, a point back of a playoff spot. Anze Kopitar will look to carry a solid All-Star Game showing onto this trip. He scored twice for Team Lidstrom in the 11-10 win over Team Staal and leads Los Angeles with 33 assists and 49 points. Kopitar has a goal and three assists in two games versus the Wild this year.
Quick has been in net for both meetings with the Wild this year, with each team recording a post-regulation road win, but head coach Terry Murray will go with Jonathan Bernier tonight and Quick tomorrow versus Edmonton. Bernier has never faced the Wild and is just 1-6-0 with a 2.95 goals-against average in eight games on the road this season.
Los Angeles came through with a 3-2 shootout win back on Oct. 25 before Minnesota countered with a 3-2 overtime triumph on Dec. 11. Dustin Brown had a goal and an assist in the loss for the Kings, but has just one goal in his last 15 games. Brent Burns had the overtime winner for the Wild and joined teammate Martin Havlat on Team Lidstrom on Sunday. Havlat ended with three assists and Burns set up a goal as well.
The duo are tied with Mikko Koivu and Cal Clutterbuck for the team lead with 14 goals, while Havlat has a club-high 30 assists as well as four goals and two helpers in his last five games. Burns, meanwhile, has a pair of goals and three assists in his last four games. Minnesota has won four of its last five games, including a 4-2 victory in Chicago last Tuesday. Niklas Backstrom made 31 saves in one of just three starts he made in January due to a hip injury. He went 2-1-0 with a 2.00 GAA in those games and is 4-3-3 with a 2.40 GAA lifetime when facing the Kings.
Los Angeles has won seven of its last 10 versus the Wild overall and four of the last five in Minnesota. Wild forward Andrew Brunette, a seventh-round pick by the Capitals in 1993, is expected to skate in his 1,000th career game this evening.
For more information on tonight's game, be sure to read Jewels From The Crown.
Kings Suffer Shootout Loss In Minnesota, 1-0
St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored in the second round of the shootout, as the Minnesota Wild returned from the All-Star break with a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Xcel Energy Center. After Anze Kopitar of the Kings and Minnesota's Martin Havlat were stopped in the first round, Niklas Backstrom made a sprawling toe save on LA's Jack Johnson to start the second. Bouchard then nearly lost control of the puck, but quickly gathered it and tucked a backhander between the pads of Jonathan Bernier to give the Wild the advantage. Kings captain Dustin Brown needed to score to keep the game alive, but was not able to and the Wild celebrated the win.
"He made a nice move," Bernier said. "At first he kind of lost the puck and I would like to get that one back." Backstrom picked up his third shutout of the season and 22nd of his career after turning aside all 27 shots for Minnesota, which has won two straight and five of its last six games. "Big win. It was not our best one, but I guess when you are coming out of a one week break and you're a little rusty, you can sure use two points," Bouchard said.
Despite taking the loss, Bernier was credited with his first whitewash of the season and the second of his career for making 25 stops. The Kings, who kicked off a mammoth 10-game road trip, had a three-game win streak halted. After a scoreless opening period, goaltending remained the story in the second as Backstrom was strong with 13 saves, while Bernier turned aside all seven chances he faced. Minnesota did have a pair of power-play chances, but couldn't take advantage and it stayed scoreless after two periods.
The teams totaled 13 low-percentage shots in a scoreless third, then in overtime, the netminders each made a pair of stops to send the game to the shootout. Wild forward Andrew Brunette played in his 1,000th career game...Despite the loss, the Kings have won seven of their last 11 versus Minnesota and four of six at Xcel Energy Center.
For more information on tonight's game, be sure to read Jewels From The Crown.
Feb 01 10:19p by Eric Stephen - 0 comments