SB Nation Los Angeles - Kings Defeat Wild In Shootout In Minnesotahttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48949/la-fave.png2010-10-25T20:23:51-07:00http://losangeles.sbnation.com/rss/stream/15371012010-10-25T20:23:51-07:002010-10-25T20:23:51-07:00Kings Get 3-2 Shootout Win Against Wild
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<p>St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Michal Handzus</span></span> notched the winner in the fifth round of the shootout as Los Angeles edged Minnesota, 3-2, at Xcel Energy Center.</p>
<p>Handzus opened the fifth and final round by working around a pokecheck from Wild goaltender <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Niklas Backstrom</span></span> and scoring on the forehand inside the left post.</p>
<p><span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Antti Miettinen</span></span> could have extended the contest but his backhand offering at the right post was halted by a sprawling <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Jonathan Quick</span></span>.</p>
<p><span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Anze Kopitar</span></span> notched a goal and an assist for the Kings, who got a score from <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Jarret Stoll</span></span> and 20 saves from Quick in regulation. Los Angeles improved to 2-1 on its current five-game road trip and has won five of its last six overall.</p>
<p><span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>John Madden</span></span> and <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Nick Schultz</span></span> tallied for the Wild, who have dropped two in a row. Backstrom stopped 32-of-34 shots in defeat.</p>
<p>Madden was alone in front to chip the rebound of a <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Clayton Stoner</span></span> shot over Quick for a 1-0 Wild edge at 5:52 of the opening period.</p>
<p>Schultz doubled the edge on his first goal of the season, scoring with a wrister than changed direction in traffic at 7:42.</p>
<p>Despite missing prime chances on a pair of 2-on-1 breaks, the Kings halved their deficit when Stoll's left-circle wrister on a power play rippled the net at 18:37.</p>
<p>Minnesota failed to capitalize on a five-minute power play granted at the 8:12 mark of the second period when the Kings' <span>Dustin Brown</span> was given a major and a game misconduct for an illegal check to the head of Wild forward Miettinen.</p>
<p>Los Angeles managed to tie the game with another late power-play score, this time with 18 seconds left in the second as Kopitar gathered in Jack Johnson's point shot and flipped the rebound in from the left circle.</p>
<p>Quick and Backstrom combined to stop all 17 shots fired their way in the third period and overtime.</p>
<p>Los Angeles has won four of its last five games at Minnesota since the start of the 2008-09 season...Prior to the game, the Kings announced that defenseman Drew Doughty was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and recalled defenseman <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Jake Muzzin</span></span> from Manchester of the AHL...LA continues its trip on Wednesday at Chicago, and Minnesota hosts Washington on Thursday...The Kings have won both of their shootouts this year, while the Wild have dropped both of their shootout tries.</p>
https://losangeles.sbnation.com/los-angeles-kings/2010/10/25/1774638/los-angeles-kings-3-2-shootout-win-against-minnesota-wildEric Stephen2010-10-25T09:05:50-07:002010-10-25T09:05:50-07:00Kings Go For Fifth Win In Six Games, In Minnesota Against The Wild
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<p>(Sports Network) - After receiving an offensive lift from an unlikely source in their last game, the <span class="sbn-auto-link"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.jewelsfromthecrown.com/">Los Angeles Kings</a></span> aim for a fifth victory in six games this evening when they continue a five-game road trip against the <span class="sbn-auto-link"><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hockeywilderness.com/">Minnesota Wild</a></span> at Xcel Energy Center.</p>
<p>The Kings dropped the opener of their swing on Thursday in Phoenix, but rebounded to grab a 6-4 triumph in Colorado on Saturday. <span>Brad Richardson</span> posted the go-ahead goal while shorthanded with 6:56 left in the third period and later recorded his first career hat trick on an even-strength marker with under three minutes to play.</p>
<p>Richardson came into the game with just 30 career goals in 254 games, but notched a timely goal on Saturday. His game-winner came less than two minutes after Colorado evened the game with a power-play goal and came on a feed from <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Jarret Stoll</span></span>, who kept a failed clearing attempt in the zone.</p>
<p>"Any time we shoot it down the ice, we've got to put the pressure on the net," Richardson said. "Stoll made a great pass to set it up."</p>
<p>The Avalanche were on the power play after <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Wayne Simmonds</span></span> took a a five-minute major for butt ending as well as a 10-game misconduct. He could be subject to discipline by the NHL prior to this game after striking Colorado's <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>T.J. Galiardi</span></span> in the groin with the end of his stick.</p>
<p>Richardson, meanwhile, had just his second multi-goal game and first since Oct. 5, 2006.</p>
<p><span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Anze Kopitar</span></span>, <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Dustin Brown</span></span> and <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Alexei Ponikarovsky</span></span> also tallied for the Kings, who got 28 stops from <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Jonathan Quick</span></span>.</p>
<p>Los Angeles was playing its second game without defenseman <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Drew Doughty</span></span> because of an upper-body injury. He isn't expected to play in this game either.</p>
<p>The Wild will look to take advantage of that loss on the blue line after having a two-game win streak snapped on Friday by the Canucks. Minnesota's brief win streak included a victory over Vancouver last Tuesday, but the Canucks turned the tables in a 5-1 decision.</p>
<p>"We didn't execute the puck and we got the result we got," Minnesota coach Todd Richards said.</p>
<p><span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Antti Miettinen</span></span> tallied the only goal for the Wild, who were without blueliner <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Cam Barker</span></span> because of a groin injury. He is questionable for tonight's opener of a five-game homestand.</p>
<p><span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Niklas Backstrom</span></span> started Minnesota's first six games, but was given a breather on Friday. Instead, <span class="sbn-auto-link"><span>Jose Theodore</span></span> made his Wild debut and halted 30 shots.</p>
<p>Backstrom will likely get the start tonight and is 4-3-2 with a 2.46 goals- against average in his career when facing the Kings.</p>
<p>Quick, meanwhile, is 5-2-0 with a 2.56 GAA lifetime against the Wild.</p>
<p>These two clubs split four meetings last year, but the Kings have won six of the last eight matchups overall and three of the last four in Minnesota.</p>
https://losangeles.sbnation.com/2010/10/25/2323149/kings-go-for-fifth-win-in-six-games-in-minnesota-against-the-wildEric Stephen