Wild falls flat in Los Angeles, losing 7-3 to Kings

LOS ANGELES – The result was the same, a loss to the lowly Kings, but the implications were drastically different.

When the Wild stalled 3-1 in Los Angeles back in mid-November, the team fell to the bottom of the Western Conference standings at 6-11-1 during a bleak start to the season — one that suggested it might jostle with the likes of the Kings in the basement the rest of the way.

But after the Wild was overpowered 7-3 Saturday afternoon in front of 16,082 at Staples Center by Los Angeles and Dustin Brown's hat trick, it emerged as a rare setback during a recent march to playoff contention — an entertaining and plucky turnaround that took root following that Nov. 12 turndown courtesy the Kings.

"We'll make some adjustments," interim coach Dean Evason said. "We'll learn from it. Things have been going pretty well for us, so it's a good opportunity for us to learn from adverse situations. We'll do that and go forward."

For the first time in seven games, the Wild gave up the first goal . The Kings rattled off two goals in 53 seconds in the second period and then pumped in three in a quick 1:13 late in the third after the Wild had clawed within a goal.

While this letdown prevented the Wild from reclaiming a playoff spot after it was bumped Friday following wins by Vancouver and Winnipeg, the team is still very much in the race for one of the two wild-card seeds.

Its 75 points are just one shy of the Canucks, Predators and Jets, and the Wild could swing back over the dividing line Sunday when it wraps up this three-game road trip through California in Anaheim.

"There's five, six teams vying for like two spots and if you don't have urgency one night, you're not going to find yourself where you want to be," goalie Alex Stalock said.

Why the Wild remains a player in this sprint to the finish line is partly due to the progress the Wild made after it left Southern California in November, since it immediately went on a season-high 11-game point streak.

But it's the consistency of late that is sustaining the Wild.

The slip-up to the Kings broke a six-game win streak on the road and was just the third loss in the past 10 games. Since Jan. 16, the Wild is 14-7-1.

Under Evason, who was promoted from assistant after Bruce Boudreau was fired Feb. 14, the Wild has scored at least three goals in all but two games. And that scoring surge peaked last week when the Wild racked up 17 goals in a three-game span, tying the franchise record.

Spearheading the attack has been winger Kevin Fiala, who has become the Wild's points leader at 52 after a 12-goal, 12-assist tear over his past 17 games. Last Monday, he was recognized as the NHL's first star of the week after recording nine points in four games. He also recently became the first Wild player to tally multiple points in five straight games.

Fiala came up empty-handed Saturday, but others stepped up — balance that's also been boosting the Wild.

After Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar capitalized on a rebound 5:16 into the first period, the Wild's Marcus Foligno answered 12 seconds into the second when he buried a loose puck.

But a harried power play paved the way for the Kings to retake control.

After an Alex Galchenyuk turnover, Blake Lizotte finished off a 2-on-1 at 7:36 for the sixth shorthanded goal against the Wild.

And just after the Wild's power play expired, Trevor Moore forced a turnover and lifted the puck over a poke-checking Stalock at 8:29.

The Wild finished 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Kings were 0-for-4.

Just 1:33 after Brown scored his first of the game 4 minutes into the third, the Wild made it 4-2 on a top-shelf shot by Jared Spurgeon, and Luke Kunin cut the deficit to one with 4:25 to go.

But the Kings snuffed the Wild's rally at 17:47 when Brown slid the puck by Stalock on a 3-on-2 rush and completed the hat trick into an empty net at 18:46. Gabriel Vilardi tacked on a seventh with a minute to go.

Calvin Petersen had 25 saves for Los Angeles, while Stalock had 28 in just his third regulation loss in his past 13 starts. Stalock has taken over the Wild's crease and provided a spark there — sitting 11-4-1 in the past 16 games.

That kind of steadiness all over the ice is what the team needs to remain in the hunt. The week started with a clutch win at home against division rival Nashville, and the Wild moved into the first wild card Thursday after it staved off San Jose 3-2; it was the first time the Wild occupied a playoff spot since Dec. 6.

Now, though, the team's back on the outside looking in and riding a pendulum that can stymie momentum just as quickly as it can fuel it. It's the reality the Wild has signed up for after fighting back to relevancy.

"That's what we put ourselves in," Foligno said. "This is the situation we're in."