Calvin Petersen made 32 saves and Carl Grundstrom broke a third-period deadlock to give the Los Angeles Kings a 2-1 road victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday in Saint Paul, Minn.
With the score tied at 5:08 of the final frame, Grundstrom took the puck off the boards, skated into the slot and fired a wrist shot that beat Wild goalie Kappo Kahkonen.
The Kings are 3-1-0 over their last four games, including wins in their last two outings.
Grundstrom’s goal broke a streak of over 14 minutes without a shot for Los Angeles, as the Wild has been in firm control of the game. Minnesota outshot the Kings by a 13-4 margin in the second period, and finally got on the board 1:09 into the third period.
After Jordan Greenway’s initial shot was stopped, Joel Eriksson Ek took the rebound around the back of the net and banged the puck past Petersen on a second attempt at the far post. The Kings challenged the score on a claim of goaltender interference, but the call stood.
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Minnesota could have easily collected several more goals if it wasn’t for a strong outing from Petersen, who earned his first victory of the season. The Los Angeles backup goalie delivered a much-needed quality performance after struggling to an .887 save percentage over his first two games.
For the first time in seven games this season, Los Angeles scored the game’s opening goal. At 4:02 of the second period, Jeff Carter and Andreas Athanasiou combined for a pair of passes to find Kurtis MacDermid at the side of the net. MacDermid placed his shot over Kahkonen’s shoulder for his first goal of the season.
Carter picked up an assist on the play, giving him five points (one goal, four assists) in three games against Minnesota this season.
Kahkonen stopped 19 of 21 shots.
The Kings and Wild continue their two-game mini-series on Thursday in Saint Paul.
Related: If you’re a fan of the Wild, check out #MNWild rumors, rankings, and news here.
–Field Level Media