ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Mikko Koivu scored
in a shootout to give the Minnesota Wild a 4-3 victory over the Los
Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
Koivu also had two assists in
regulation. Matt Cullen also had a goal, Zach Parise had a goal and an
assist and Niklas Backstrom stopped 28 shots for Minnesota, which
bounced back after having its seven-game win streak ended a night
earlier in Dallas.
Parise and Cullen also scored in the shootout for the Wild, who are in first place in the Northwest Division.
Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter had
power-play goals, and Justin Williams also scored for the Kings, who
blew a two-goal lead and fell to 2-1 on their five-game road trip. Kings
goalie Jonathan Quick made 25 saves.
Backstrom won his eighth consecutive
start and his 19th game of the season a night after sitting out for the
first time in 13 games.
The Kings took a 3-1 lead midway
through the second period when Williams scored on a breakaway after
blocking Clayton Stoner's shot attempt at point-blank range. Two minutes
later, though, Charlie Coyle gave the Wild a boost by scoring on a
backhand from his knees after whiffing on his initial attempt.
Coyle missed badly and fell after
taking a pretty pass from Parise from behind the net. He more than made
up for it by sneaking his second attempt under Quick's stick to make it
3-2.
Parise tied it in the third just as
L.A. killed off a 5-on-3 Minnesota power play. The crowd just finished
booing the Wild for failing to get a shot during the two-man advantage
when Koivu went cross ice to find Parise, who wristed it past quick from
the left circle to make it 3-all.
L.A. led 1-0 after Brown's goal at 7:58 of the first period, but Cullen tied it at 13:19 after a turnover.
Notes: The Kings have scored two
power-play goals on the road four times this season, but have lost all
four games. ... Wild C Torrey Mitchell was scratched due to an illness.
... Cullen has 19 points in his past 19 games, and Devin Setoguchi has
10 points in his past 10.
