Reeling Kings head to Minnesota

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KINGS (42-26-6) at WILD (36-33-6)

Last 10: Los Angeles 4-4-2; Minnesota 5-5-0.

Season Series: This is the fourth and final meeting between the teams. Los Angeles has won two of the first three, including a 5-2 decision at Minnesota on New Year's Eve.

Big Story: The Kings are struggling, as they enter Monday's action having lost three straight games. It's important they finish strong before the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when they're bound to face one of the top three teams in the Western Conference.

Of course, the Kings -- who have 90 points -- need to clinch a playoff spot first.

Team Scope:

Kings: Los Angeles, which hasn't made the playoffs since 2002, has scored only five goals during this slump. The Kings, who allowed four power-play goals in a 4-1 loss on home ice to the Dallas Stars on Saturday night, are just 5-6-2 since the Olympic break.

"We need urgency from every aspect of this team. Coaches, players, trainers, we all need to get that mindset," captain Dustin Brown said. "Ultimately, it lies on the players, and that's the most important thing, but as a group, a team, here, everyone involved, we all need to have the mentality, that urgency, and we haven't had it. Again, that's unacceptable."




Wild: It's all but a certainty that Minnesota will miss the playoffs for a second straight season. The Wild have lost four of their last six games, including Friday's 6-2 loss at Detroit, which scored four times in the second period.

"We unraveled in the second period," coach Todd Richards said.

Who's Hot: Kings forward Anze Kopitar has 76 points this season, one shy of his career high set in 2007-08. ? Wild forward Andrew Brunette has three goals in his last four games.

Injury Report: Kings defenseman Matt Greene (upper body) is day-to-day. ? For the Wild, Mikko Koivu (arm), Chuck Kobasew (knee), Josh Harding (hip), Cam Barker (ankle), and Shane Hnidy (leg) are all questionable. Clayton Stoner (sports hernia) and Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion) are out.

Stat Pack: After a streak of 29 consecutive killed penalties, the Kings are 9-for-15 on the penalty kill in their last three games, all losses.

Puck Drop: "Everyone wants to go into the playoffs winning, but this is, sometimes, a part of the season. I think we didn't come out of the Olympic break so great, but we've played, to my count, about four pretty good games in a row leading up to this one. We're not happy about tonight, but I think the best thing for us is that we get right on the road tomorrow and we play two games right in a row. I think the best thing for us will be playing hockey immediately." -- Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi after Saturday's loss to Dallas

 

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Preview: With its playoff hopes all but gone, the Wild begins its final multiple-game homestand of the season against a team it has struggled to beat. The Kings have won three in a row at Xcel Energy Center and are 6-1 in their past seven games against the Wild. Still, L.A. isn't coming in at its best, with losses in three consecutive games and five of its past seven.

Players to watch: Wild C Kyle Brodziak has 31 points this season, tying his career high set with Edmonton in 2007-08. ... Kings goalie Jonathan Quick is 5-1 against the Wild, with a 2.48 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in six starts.

Numbers: Wild C Mikko Koivu's 46 assists are one short of his career high and the fourth-best single-season total in team history. ... Quick has played 67 games this season, second in the NHL to Martin Brodeur's 69. His 39 victories rank fourth in the league.

Injuries: Wild LW Guillaume Latendresse (general soreness), RW Chuck Kobasew (knee) and Koivu (arm) are questionable. G Josh Harding (hip) is unlikely to play. D Shane Hnidy (lower body), D Cam Barker (ankle), D Clayton Stoner (hernia) and C Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion) are out. Kings D Matt Greene (upper body) is day to day.

 

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As injuries mount, Wild GM seeks fix


On Sunday, the Wild gathered at St. Thomas Ice Arena for its first full practice since March 6. But injuries have complicated things for this team all season, and several notable absences left the Wild roster as full of holes as the smile of an old-school hockey player.

Coach Todd Richards said winger Guillaume Latendresse skipped practice because he is "banged up'' and added that he might not play on Monday night against Los Angeles. Chuck Kobasew was off seeing a doctor about his injured knee. Cam Barker's bum ankle kept him out, and the Wild medical staff was examining Josh Harding's aching hip. Mikko Koivu (arm) and Shane Hnidy (lower body) felt well enough to practice, but Koivu didn't engage in any heavy contact, and Hnidy already has been ruled out for Monday's game

With the season winding down, General Manager Chuck Fletcher wants to know whether there's anything the team can do to keep its players healthier next season. He plans to look at video and talk to players, coaches and staff to determine why injuries happened. Then he will consider adjustments that could prevent some health problems by easing the physical stress of an 82-game season.

"We really need to take a look at this,'' Fletcher said. "We want to find ways to lessen the impact on our players and have a healthier roster. What can we do in terms of how we travel, when we travel, how we practice, how much rest do we give them, what we do in training camp?

"We can't go through every season having this many injuries. Next year, we want to come in and be more competitive and make the playoffs. Dealing with this issue is one of the first ways we're going to look to improve.''
Fletcher said that compressing the NHL schedule to allow for the two-week Olympic break increased the wear and tear on players throughout the league this season. Being back on a regular schedule will help, but he also will seek ways to mitigate the effects of the heavy travel and frequent border crossings that the Wild faces as a member of the Northwest Division.

Richards said Barker will not be healthy enough to play against the Kings. He wasn't sure whether Koivu would rejoin the lineup after missing the past two games, and he didn't know the extent of the knee problem that befell Kobasew on Friday. While the coach anticipated a goaltender would be called up today from Houston of the AHL to fill in for Harding, he said it hadn't been determined whether any skaters would be recalled.

Fletcher said he is waiting to hear whether Harding's hip injury will simply require rest, or whether more serious treatment is necessary. Richards didn't sound hopeful that the goalie would be back any time soon. "I'd be surprised if it feels good enough and strong enough to finish out the year,'' he said. "But you never know.''
Cut short

It's all but certain the Wild will not make the playoffs. Richards still is trying to get his mind around the idea of packing away the uniforms after the regular season, something his teams haven't done since his Armstrong High School team lost to Minnetonka in the section final during his senior year.

Richards went on to four NCAA Frozen Fours as a defenseman for the Gophers and made the playoffs in all 13 seasons he played as a pro. In seven previous seasons as a head or assistant coach, his teams also made the playoffs every year.

"It's not a good feeling, being on the outside looking in,'' he said. "Where we're at is disappointing and frustrating on a lot of different levels. [Saturday] night, I lay awake in bed thinking about a lot of things; 'this happened then, should I have done this differently?' You do a lot of that, because this is not a position you want to be in.''

 

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Wild recall G Anton Khudobin with Josh Harding injured.