Trying to tame the Wild

In terms of intensity, the Kings and Minnesota Wild should come out of the All-Star break firing tonight. Each team has 55 points — Minnesota claims 10th place in the West by virtue of having played one fewer game — and both teams were getting good results before the break. The Kings won three consecutive games and the Wild won four of five. Minnesota outscored its opponents by a combined margin of 21-7 in those five games, leading Terry Murray to stress the importance of the Kings getting off to a strong start against the Wild…

MURRAY: “We’re going to have to make sure that we’re getting pucks in, to get a forecheck and cycle game. I think scoring the first goal of the game is very important, against any team but certainly against Minnesota. The last two games that they’ve played, I’ve watched them over the last few days. When they had a lead against Chicago, they really clamped down on the checking part of it. It was a 1-4 look. The two defensemen are at the top of the circle and they gave up absolutely nothing on the scoring part of it to Chicago. I think you’ve got to give that a big focus, making sure pucks are deep, recover and get as many opportunities as you possibly can.”