On Tuesday, November 5, the Minnesota Wild hosted the Los Angeles Kings in their third and final game of their recent homestand. Filip Gustavsson was in the net for the third consecutive game and was looking for his third straight win. It started out well, with the Wild getting a lead in the second period, only for the Kings to take it back later in the same period.
The Kings went on a three-goal run in the third period, including an empty-net goal, to take a 5-1 lead and eventual win. That was only the Wild’s second regulation loss in the season, and it moved them to a record of 8-2-2, while the Kings moved to 8-3-3.
Game Recap
The first period had a lot of end-to-end action, just like the past few games for the Wild, but there was no scoring this time. Each side had a few strong chances, but the goaltending stood strong. It was even quiet in terms of penalties called until the very end of the first when the Kings were called for the game’s first penalty. The Wild’s power play had some good looks but was again stumped.
The second period looked to follow the first period in scoring until the Wild finally cracked the seal with a shot from Zach Bogosian. That put the Wild up 1-0. However, the celebrating was cut short as soon after the goal, Kirill Kaprizov went down the tunnel after accidentally taking a puck to the face off of a teammate’s stick. He didn’t return for the rest of the second, and the Wild struggled to regain control.
The Kings pounced and scored after some defensive chaos that caused Gustavsson to be out of position. They tied the game at one, with a little over five minutes to go in the second. Following that goal, the Kings continued to do well as former Wild player Kevin Fiala scored on the power play to give his team their first lead with just over a minute left. The second period ended with the Kings up 2-1 and the Wild needing a big push to get their lead back in the third.
Kaprizov returned for the third, giving his team the energy boost it had been looking for, but it only lasted for a short time. The Kings took advantage when the Wild couldn’t find a way to convert on an early power play. They scored three times, including one empty-net goal in the third, to take a commanding 5-1 lead and deflate the Wild’s efforts.
The Wild will practice on Wednesday, Nov. 6, before heading west for a back-to-back against the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. They’ll face the Sharks on Thursday, Nov. 7, while the Kings will also be in action on Thursday as they face the Vancouver Canucks.
