Kings at Wild
THE STORY: Just when it appeared safe to pronounce last rites, the
Minnesota Wild have come back to life and moved within striking range of
the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Minnesota has
rebounded from a dismal seven-game losing streak by winning three of its
last four, including victories over three teams battling for division
titles. The Wild are five points out of the No. 8 slot and three back of
the Los Angeles Kings, who visit Minnesota on Tuesday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports, TSN2
ABOUT THE KINGS (28-23-12):
Los Angeles’ offensive woes continued in a 2-1 loss at Nashville on
Monday. It was the fifth defeat in six games for the Kings, who have
been shut out three times and limited to one goal five times in the last
12 games. All three shutouts have come by 1-0 scores. All-Star
goaltender Jonathan Quick has won back-to-back games only once since New
Year’s Day. Right wing Dustin Brown scored Monday, giving him five in
his last three games.
ABOUT THE WILD (28-25-9): Veteran
defenseman Nick Schultz scored his first goal in 101 games in Sunday’s
4-3 victory over San Jose. One day later, the franchise leader in games
played and Minnesota’s longest-tenured player was shipped to Edmonton
for offensive-minded blueliner Tom Gilbert. Defenseman Greg Zanon also
was sent packing Monday, dealt to Boston for defenseman Steve Kampfer.
And with defenseman Marek Zidlicky traded to New Jersey on Friday,
Minnesota has overhauled its defensive corps with only 20 games to play.
OVERTIME:
1. The Wild players were taken aback by the trade
of Schultz. "It's shocking. He’s what the organization is all about,”
teammate Cal Clutterbuck said.
2. Los Angeles defenseman Willie Mitchell played his 700th career game Monday.
3. Minnesota’s Jed Ortmeyer scored the game-winner against San Jose – his first tally since March 28, 2010