Niederreiter, Kuemper Lift Wild To Shootout WIn Over Kings
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nino Niederreiter scored the tying goal early in the third period and netted the only goal in a four-round shootout to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.
The Wild, playing their first game since leading scorer Mikko Koivu broke his ankle Saturday at Washington, have won three straight for the first time since Nov. 1-5.
Koivu underwent surgery on Monday and is expected to miss at least four weeks.
Minor league call-up Darcy Kuemper made 17 of his 39 saves during the first period in his third appearance this season and fifth NHL start.
Jarret Stoll scored for the Kings, and Jonathan Quick made 16 saves in his second straight start after missing 24 games because of a groin injury.
Coming off a 5-3 victory in which they were outshot 30-11 by the Capitals, the Wild were outshot 30-9 by Los Angeles through the first two periods of the scoreless game.
Kuemper stopped seven shots during the Kings' first power play, which came after Matt Cooke was sent off for slashing at 6:47 of the second. The 6-foot-5 goalie got a break midway through the period, when Dwight King hit the right post with a shot from the left point after a turnover by Minnesota defenseman Keith Ballard.
Another Kings scoring chance came with about 5 minutes left in the first when Carter stickhandled around Ryan Suter in the left circle and found King cruising down the slot. King fanned on the shot.
The Kings got on the board 50 seconds into the third. Jeff Carter got the puck from King along the right boards in the Minnesota zone and circled the net before setting up Stoll in the low slot. It was Stoll's sixth of the season and first in his last 12 games against the Wild.
Minnesota tied it at 3:25 when Jason Pominville set up Niederreiter in front of the crease with a pass from the right point after Niederreiter got a step behind defenseman Drew Doughty.
The teams met for the first time since opening night, when the Kings won 3-2 in a shootout at Minnesota.
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