LOS ANGELES — The Kings allowed three straight goals in the second period, leaving them with a hill a bit too steep to climb as they fell short against the physical Minnesota Wild, 3-2, on Saturday night at Staples Center.
Winger Viktor Arvidsson scored a power-play goal for the Kings while center Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty turned in multipoint efforts for the second straight game. Goalie Jonathan Quick surrendered three goals on 30 shots in his first start of the season.
Minnesota got goals from forwards Frederick Gaudreau, Victor Rask and Ryan Hartman. Cam Talbot turned in a solid performance in net, making 29 of 31 saves.
“They’re a big, heavy, strong team. We hung in there with them, but it was our first real grinding game of the season; it was a heavy game,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said.
He added: “I think that some of the individuals weren’t necessarily prepared for this time of game, they had to experience it.”
With 12:32 left in the game, the Kings halved their deficit with a clean breakout and a heavy touch of good fortune. Doughty keyed the rush and then joined it, then as he and Kopitar moved the puck back and forth, Kopitar’s ostensibly ill-fated centering pass deflected into the net off Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba’s skate. The Kings drew no closer despite shortening their bench and making a late push with Quick pulled for the extra attacker.
At the 5:23 mark of the second period, the Kings had opened the scoring, converting on their third power play in their first three opportunities of the season. It was Doughty setting up Kopitar for a one-timer, which generated a rebound for Arvidsson, who held the puck and then shot to the far side for his first goal as a King. Dumba’s hit on forward Adrian Kempe had drawn a penalty and created a melee in which all 10 players came together briefly.
“It was nice to get one. I think I had a really good shot right before where half the net was open and I missed,” Arvidsson said. “It came out to me and I thought about just ripping it but I saw the opening on the far side so I held it.”
The lead proved ephemeral, however, as Gaudreau knotted the score 54 seconds later with a hard one-timer from the low slot, just inside the right faceoff circle.
“Today was kind of a streaky game. We were on them pretty good and then they’d be on us,” defenseman Matt Roy said.
Center Phillip Danault drew another penalty, this one against winger Marcus Foligno, but the Kings came up empty on the power play for the first time this season despite some decisive puck movement.
That missed chance became costly as the Kings were stung by Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov, who collected a loose puck along right-wing boards as he gained the offensive zone. He surged forward, slammed on the brakes, pivoted and found Rask wide open trailing the play for a wrist-shot goal from the left slot.
“If we could go back and take a goal out of the game, that’s the one that I would pick,” said McLellan, who was disappointed with his team’s “game management” during the shift.
The Kings nearly fell further behind after Dumba’s wide shot banked off the end boards and created a free-for-all in front of the net, culminating in forward Nico Sturm pushing the puck into the net. But the Kings challenged the goal, and a video review determined that Sturm pushed Quick’s pad into the net to score the goal, which meant it was nullified due to goalie interference.
That reprieve also lasted less than a minute. Following some precise passing down low, Hartman lifted a shot past Quick. After grappling extensively during the shift with Doughty, who fell victim to momentary confusion just before the goal, Hartman taunted the Kings’ alternate captain during his goal celebration.
“Danault got caught sneaking up a little bit, a pass went underneath him and left (Doughty) with a two-on-one at the net and he got spun around as well,” McLellan said. “Give them credit, they made a good play and it was really good poise for Hartman to hold the puck long enough to get the goaltender down.”
In the scoreless first period, the Kings were being doubled up in shots, 12-6, but they took the last four to close the frame, including three dangerous plays in the final minute.
Next up, the Kings travel to Nashville to take on the Predators in the opener of a four-game road trip.