ST. PAUL, Minn. — Mats Zuccarello netted the decisive power-play goal with just 4:38 remaining, lifting the Minnesota Wild to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.
Ryan Hartman contributed a goal along with an assist, while Marcus Johansson also found the back of the net, and Jared Spurgeon recorded two assists in support of Minnesota. In goal, Filip Gustavsson stood tall with 28 saves.
On the opposing side, Adrian Kempe scored for Los Angeles, and Darcy Kuemper, who was on a streak of two consecutive shutouts, made 19 saves. However, the Kings saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.
Zuccarello’s game-winner came off a pass from Matt Boldy. Positioned in the left circle, he settled the puck and delivered a shot past Kuemper with Marco Rossi effectively screening the goalie. This marked Zuccarello’s 100th goal since joining the Wild in 2019.
Johansson secured the win with an empty-net goal with just 56 seconds left on the clock.
Kempe had initially put the Kings ahead 1-0 with a power-play goal just 4:59 into the game, capitalizing on a one-timer from the right circle after a pass from Kevin Fiala.
Hartman managed to equalize at the 1:51 mark of the second period with a power-play goal, redirecting Jared Spurgeon’s point shot past Kuemper and ending the goalie’s shutout streak at 176:06.
**Takeaways**
**Kings:** The defeat left Los Angeles with a record of 25-7-4 when scoring first, keeping them just one point behind Edmonton for the second spot in the Pacific Division.
**Wild:** Minnesota collected its second win in six games (2-3-1), strengthening its hold on the first wild-card position in the Western Conference. The victory also brought the Wild within four points of third-place Colorado in the Central Division.
**Key moment**
An impressive save by Gustavsson, who caught Drew Doughty’s one-timer from the center point amidst heavy traffic 2:05 into the third period, preserved the 1-1 tie.
**Key stat**
The Wild were efficient on the power play, going 2-for-3 after achieving a 2-for-6 record over the preceding three games.
**Up next**
The Kings continue their road trip with a matchup in Chicago on Thursday, while the Wild are set to host Seattle on Wednesday.
