Kings beat Minnesota, 3-2, in shootout
The Kings extended their solid start to the season with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild on Monday at the Xcel Energy Center, triumphing in the fifth round of the tiebreaking procedure.
They’ve now won five of their last six games.
The Kings lost captain Dustin Brown at 8:12 of the second period, after he was penalized for hitting Minnesota’s Antti Miettinen in the head. That penalty carries an automatic game misconduct and leaves him subject to supplementary discipline from the NHL. Miettinen was not injured and played during the subsequent power play.
In the decisive shootout, Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings in the first round and Mikko Koivu matched that. Jack Johnson was stopped by Niklas Backstrom in the second round but Matt Cullen beat Jonathan Quick to the stick side. Jarret Stoll beat Backstrom to the stick side in the third round and shot over the net.Marek Zidlicky
Justin Williams led off the fourth round with a wrist shot that Backstrom went to his knees to stop, and Brent Burns shot off the glass.
In the fifth round, Michal Handzus deked Backstrom to the ice and lifted a shot over him, and Miettinen was stopped by Quick.
More later at www.latimes.com/sports
--Helene Elliott , replace from St. Paul, Minn.
Photo: Wild defenseman Brent Burns and goaltender Niklas Backstrom are unable to stop a shot by Kings center Anze Kopitar (lower right) in the second period. Credit: David Brewster / McClatchy-Tribune
