Wild’s first-period flurry ends Kings’ 6-game win streak

The Kings’ six-game win streak was the longest in the NHL this season, with the operative word being “was,” as they stumbled against the Minnesota Wild, 3-1, on Friday night at XCel Energy Center.

Minnesota unleashed a combination as potent and varied as any Sugar Ray Leonard ever threw. The Wild got three goals from three different forward lines in a span of 3 minutes, 3 seconds in the first period, propelling them to their fifth consecutive victory. Minnesota’s last loss was to the Kings on Feb. 16 at Staples Center.

Forward Jeff Carter scored the Kings’ only goal late in the third period. Jonathan Quick took his turn between the pipes, making 27 saves.

Rookie winger Kirill Kaprizov, center Joel Eriksson-Ek and forward Nick Bjugstad scored for Minnesota. Cam Talbot made his first start in goal since Feb. 2, and he showed poise in his return with 27 saves.

“There was a lot of stuff that didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, and it’s all on us,” Kings center Anze Kopitar said. “We didn’t make any plays. Our passing was not very good. Just battles for the puck, they won them.”

Kaprizov flashed a bit of magic early in the first period, weaving and bobbing through defenders to open up a tight seam for his pass to Mats Zuccarello for a prime opportunity. Along with center Victor Rask, the Wild’s second line had been dominant in the previous three games, combining for six goals and 19 points.

The Kings then drew a penalty but did little with the power play. They were being out-shot 6-2 midway through the first, but then briefly tilted the ice in their favor. Then they appeared overmatched for the remainder of the frame, in which they were out-shot 16-7.

At the 12:33 mark, Kaprizov summoned his inner Pavel Datsyuk, another undersized Russian player with immense creativity and strength on the puck, turning in a superb individual effort.

Despite the Kings’ top defenseman Drew Doughty being draped over his back like a cape, Kaprizov fended off checks and protected the puck behind the net. He turned a pass off his backhand to the left point for a shot by defenseman Jonas Brodin. Kaprizov collected one rebound, fired and tracked down another. He cupped the puck on the heel of his stick and used the net to create space for a wraparound goal that he swept in despite Doughty hounding him effortfully.

“We didn’t respond well after the first one,” said Kings coach Todd McLellan, whose team hadn’t trailed in during any of its six consecutive wins. “We hadn’t had that feeling of falling behind in a long time.”

With 5:29 left in the first period, an unfavorable bounce cost the Kings as a dump in ricocheted off the lively end boards and then struck the side of the net, where Quick failed to control it. Bjugstad was zooming toward the goalmouth, and he lifted a backhand shot to stretch the Minnesota advantage to two goals.

A mere 65 seconds later, the Wild tallied again. First, they hit the post, then their imposing top line went to work down low. Eriksson-Ek sent a shot from in tight that Quick turned aside, but then winger Jordan Greenway provided additional traffic for a second shot from the slot that Eriksson-Ek buried for a three-score lead.

The second period saw more hold-your-breath moments from Kaprizov both with his shot and his passing savvy.

“If he isn’t the top rookie in the league, he’s got to be one of the top two or three. This is (our) game six against him and every night he’s gotten better,” McLellan said. “Along the boards and in piles, he’s not the biggest man, but he always seems to roll off and come out.”

Talbot was up to the task of stopping some initial shots and very few second-chance opportunities for the Kings. Talbot’s positioning and rebound control were masterful over the course of the game.

Brodin and Kaprizov each hit the post in the third period, and the Kings killed an early penalty to avoid an even bigger deficit. The Kings earned two power plays but were unable to convert on either.

Brodin and his partner Matt Dumba showcased their range all night, activating offensively and hustling on the backcheck as well. The Kings’ top pairing was once again a man short, as left defenseman Mikey Anderson missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury.

The Kings did get a goal back with 2:51 left. A slick passing sequence off the rush culminated in Carter’s goal, which deflected in off his foot.

They will be back to work tomorrow in Minnesota, closing out their longest scheduled road trip of the season at six games.

McLellan said he saw some downward trends in the Kings’ last victory in St. Louis and said that while it was common for a team’s play to languish a bit toward the end of a trip, the Kings could not lean on that as an excuse. Kopitar concurred.

“The last two periods have been better. Still not up to our standards. We stopped the bleeding a little bit,” Kopitar said. “Tomorrow’s a new game and we’re going to have to be much better than we were tonight.”

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