Some notes from last night’s game… – The Kings played their first home game in nearly a month and beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Thursday night at Staples Center. – The Kings have allowed a total of 33 games in their last 18 games — an average of 1.83 goals per game allowed — [...]

For the first time in their four meetings this season, the Kings and Minnesota Wild played a game that didn’t go to overtime. The Kings concluded the season series with a 2-0-2 record against the Wild after last night’s win. Here’s how the game was presented by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer [...]

ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun has learned that Kings winger Marco Sturm is among the players who was placed on waivers this morning. Teams would have a 24-hour period, starting a few minutes ago, to put in claims for Sturm, after which the Kings can decide what to do, starting with “absolutely nothing” and then getting more [...]

Here’s my LAKings.com game story for tonight, with stats and video included. Thanks for reading… Kings beat Wild 4-2 The Kings are scheduled to practice tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo.

Terry Murray’s postgame thoughts… (on Wayne Simmonds’ game…) MURRAY: “Simmonds had a real good game, when you score two goals, and good goals. Power play, and I really liked the second goal, on the cycle. He was moving his feet, and that’s the reason why he’s been playing, in my opinion, really well in the [...]

The Wild went on the power play with 1:59 remaining, then pulled their goalie for a 6-on-4 advantage, but Michal Handzus won a faceoff in the Kings’ zone. After a scramble, Anze Kopitar momentarily got control of the puck and whipped a shot into the empty Minnesota net from the middle of the circles to [...]

Drew Doughty gave the Kings a 3-2 lead 4:39 into the third period. Ryan Smyth carried the puck into the Minnesota zone and dropped a pass for Dustin Brown at the top of the left circle. Brown faked a shot, then hit Doughty with a perfect cross-ice pass, and Doughty fired in a shot to [...]

The Wild tied the game with five seconds remaining in the second period, on the power play. Off a faceoff win in the Kings’ zone by Matt Cullen, Brent Burns beat Bernier with a shot through traffic from the top of the left circle to make it a 2-2 game.

Simmonds’ second goal of the game gave the Kings a 2-1 lead with 9:42 remaining in the second period. Simmonds went low to help keep the puck in the Kings’ zone, then went to the top of the circles, took a pass from Anze Kopitar and, with space, fired a high wrist shot that beat [...]

Minnesota tied the game 4:03 into the second period. Eric Nystrom worked the puck out of the corner, then battled two Kings defenders as he pushed the puck toward the net. Bernier went down to try to cover the puck, but Nystrom made a final lunge and pushed it between his pads to tie the [...]

The Kings took a 1-0 lead with 6:35 remaining in the first period, and with eight seconds remaining on the game’s first power play. After a battle behind the Minnesota net, Wayne Simmonds picked up the puck in the slot and whipped a wrist shot past Backstrom. Jack Johnson picked up an assist.

The Kings and Minnesota Wild meet for the fourth and final time this season and, well, pack a lunch. All three previous meetings this season have gone beyond regulation, with the Kings winning 3-2 in a shootout in St. Paul on Oct. 25, the Wild winning 3-2 in overtime at Staples Center on Dec. 11 [...]

Starting tonight, the Kings get another chance to get this whole extended-homestand thing right. It certainly didn’t happen in January, when the Kings went 2-6 during their season-long eight-game homestand. When the January homestand was mentioned today, Terry Murray furrowed his brow a bit. “Is that all it was, just eight (games) before?” Yes, Terry, [...]

The Kings’ postgame locker-room video made its return last night. Also, you can continue to track the ever-fluid Western Conference playoff race by checking LAKings.com’s “The Postseason Race” page.