LOS ANGELES — The Kings tamed the Minnesota Wild for the second time in three nights, taking Monday’s affair, 4-2, at Crypto.com Arena after previously winning Saturday’s game in a shootout.
The Kings won consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 8 and did so not only against strong opposition but under adverse circumstances. Anže Kopitar (lower-body injury) and Joel Armia (upper-body injury) exited the match in the first and second periods, respectively, leaving the Kings with just 10 forwards in uniform. They were already missing Trevor Moore, who was absent for a third straight game.
Warren Foegele lit the lamp. Then, Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko assisted on each other’s goals before Adrian Kempe scored into the empty net. Brian Dumoulin contributed two assists. Darcy Kuemper made 32 saves against one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Jared Spurgeon had one goal and helped set up another by Ryan Hartman for the Wild. Filip Gustavsson stopped 29 shots.
Early in the third period, Kuemper stoned Joel Eriksson Ek on a one-timer to preserve the Kings’ two-goal cushion with 16:45 left.
That gain would be ephemeral, however, as the Wild broke up Kuemper’s shutout 2:40 later. Jonas Brodin’s D-to-D pass set up Spurgeon’s one-timer, which was deflected upon release by Foegele. It knuckled to the far side past Kuemper, whom the Wild drafted in 2009.
Coming into the night, the line of Fiala, Kuzmenko and Alex Turcotte had out-chanced but not outscored opponents. That changed Monday as Kuzmenko’s goal put the offensively ambitious line into the black and the Kings ahead 3-1 with 10:40 remaining.
Kuzmenko received the puck from Dumoulin and though he was initially facing four defenders, his artful pivot left him isolated against Danila Yurov. Kuzmenko drove the net and danced across the crease to score from in tight.
A double-minor penalty for high sticking to Mikey Anderson gave the Wild life. They converted a man up on a play that went from high to low to the bumper for Hartman’s kneeling goal to make it 3-2 with 4:39 on the clock.
The Wild could get no closer after facing an uphill battle at the second intermission. They ceded the empty-netter to Kempe with 99 seconds before the final horn. Kempe and Fiala are tied for the team lead with 15 goals apiece.
The Kings entered the game with the second fewest second-period goals in the NHL this season, but they broke through with a pair at the 15:34 and 17:52 marks to head to the dressing room with a 2-0 edge.
Not long after a savvy play by Brandt Clarke shut down a second-chance bid off the rush, the Kings earned the game’s first goal.
After Jeff Malott won a puck battle, set up one shot attempt for Foegele that went wide before Dumoulin found him for another that flew under the crossbar from high in the zone. It was Foegele’s sixth goal of the season.
Fiala extended their lead on a sequence with as much verve and guile as the Kings have shown on a goal all season.
Drew Doughty’s chip off the end boards led to Turcotte’s stretch pass for Kuzmenko. The ebullient Russian’s quick exchange at the blue line with Fiala left him with the puck again. He stickhandled his way into the slot and slipped the puck across for Fiala, who had outsmarted and outmuscled Matt Kiersted in the paint for a tap-in tally.
The first period featured plenty of pace but no scoring, with the Kings killing the period’s only penalty and weathering some suspect puck management by their defensemen. Unfortunately, the first period saw Kopitar’s last action of the night, as his final shift ended with 2:01 left in the frame.
More to come on this story.
Related Articles
Kings look to build off win in rematch with Wild Kings hang on to beat Wild in shootout Kings welcome the Wild for two after another late collapse These 5 Kings are slated to play in the Winter Olympics Kings fall to Lightning to open a new yearHence then, the article about kings beat wild for 2nd time in 3 days was published today ( ) and is available on Los Angeles Daily News ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Kings beat Wild for 2nd time in 3 days )
Also on site :
- Thriller! Rylan Sevilla’s fourth-quarter heroics lift No. 17 Dougherty Valley past No. 9 Bishop O’Dowd
- CES 2026: Guangfan Technology Reveals Lightwear, Introducing World's First Vision-Enabled AI Earphones
- EastEnders airs horrific return for killer villain in nightmarish early BBC iPlayer release for Ravi Gulati