Kings after one period: Minnesota 2, Kings 1
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The Wild scored twice in a minute and 50 seconds early in the first period, but the Kings narrowed their deficit with a power-play goal at 18:37 after Jarret Stoll actually found the net instead of shooting three feet wide.
Minnesota scored its first goal at 5:52. Defenseman Clayton Stoner kept the puck in at the right point and took a shot that resulted in a loose puck lying to the left of the crease. John Madden, signed by Minnesota as a free agent after he won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks last season, lifted the puck over Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick for his second goal this season.
The Wild made it 2-0 at 7:42. Mikko Koivu won a battle for the puck and passed it back to the left point, where Nick Schultz blasted it. The puck appeared to deflect at least once before eluding a screened Quick.
The Kings had two shorthanded breakaways but couldn’t capitalize before they took advantage of a power play to make it 2-1 at 18:37. Anze Kopitar passed to Stoll, a right-handed shooter who was stationed on the left side. Stoll moved in a few strides and was about 35 feet out when he whipped a shot past Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom.
The Kings killed off two disadvantages, a noteworthy accomplishment because Minnesota began the game with a 52.6% power-play success rate at home and a league-leading 38.7% overall.
More later from the Xcel Energy Center.
--Helene Elliott, reporting from St. Paul, Minn.