Wild at Kings
The Minnesota Wild look to halt their five-game losing streak when they continue their four-game road trip against the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. Minnesota has scored a total of four goals during its slide and avoided being shut out for the third consecutive contest Wednesday as it dropped a 3-1 decision at Anaheim.
The Wild's power play ranks in the bottom-third of the league and it's easy to see why, as the team has gone 0-for-24 during its last 11 games. Los Angeles is attempting to run away with the division as it holds a 12-point lead over Arizona after posting 3-2 victories over Anaheim on the road and Dallas at home. Anze Kopitar has been on fire of late, collecting four goals and 16 assists in his last 12 contests. The Slovenian center helped the Kings top Minnesota at home Oct. 16, scoring the winning goal at 2:19 of overtime.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, FSN North, FSN Wisconsin (Minnesota), FSN West (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE WILD (22-16-8): Jarret Stoll kept Minnesota from being blanked again Wednesday, scoring his first goal in 17 games with the organization since being claimed off waivers from the New York Rangers. Captain Mikko Koivu leads the team with 33 points but has notched just one assist during his last eight games. Zach Parise has scored a club-high 16 goals but enters Thursday with a four-game drought.
ABOUT THE KINGS (29-13-3): After notching one assist in seven games with Philadelphia, Vincent Lecavalier has registered four points in six contests since being acquired. The 35-year-old center has helped make Los Angeles' fifth-ranked power play even more potent, netting a man-advantage tally in each of his last three games. Jake Muzzin is riding an eight-game point streak — the longest by a Kings defenseman since Lubomir Visnovsky's nine-game run in 2005 and longest by any member of the club since captain Dustin Brown landed on the scoresheet in 10 consecutive contests in 2012.
OVERTIME
1. Kings G Jonathan Quick is 9-1-1 with a 1.72 goals-against average and .938 save percentage in his last 11 contests.
2. Minnesota has gone 13 consecutive road games without a power-play goal.
3. Los Angeles C Tyler Toffoli leads the NHL with a plus-28 rating and is tied for sixth with 22 goals.