The view from Minnesota

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 Press, followed by some additional postgame quotes from the Wild locker room…

Numbers just don’t add up in L.A.

Wild drops into 6th with 4-2 loss at LA

Kings 4, Wild 2: Not enough bodies, not enough goals

Kobasew shrugs off scratch

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COACH TODD RICHARDS
(on the game…) “The guys played hard all the way to the end. It was a pretty intense, pretty physical game. I’m proud of the way the guys battled. It wasn’t an easy game and we stuck with it all the way to the end. We just came up a little short.”

(on the power play…) “We struggled, especially early in the game. I think we talked about it a little bit afterwards and I felt we were better there. But you have to give them [the Kings] credit; they played hard. They’re big and they’re doing a good job skating, pursuing and creating those battles. Again, I’m real proud of the way we played and competed, Just came up a little short.”

MATT CULLEN
(on the game…) “We didn’t play our game often enough, I guess. We had moments where we cycled and played the way we can and got in on them on the forecheck, but we didn’t do it often enough. We didn’t maintain that consistent level of pressure throughout the game.”

(on facing the Kings…) “They have good, mobile defense. You have to give them credit; they played pretty well. They came out hard and they forechecked hard and they have some D that can break a puck out and make some plays. That was a big part of them winning tonight.”

(on Burns’ game-tying goal…) “You give yourself a chance to head into the third period tied. That’s a good spot to be in on the road, generally speaking. We didn’t have it tonight. We weren’t able to get what we needed.”

JOHN MADDEN
(on the game…) “They [the Kings] made a nice play on their game-winner to win the game. We had our chances to put it away, but we didn’t have any luck around the net. There were a lot of loose pucks we just couldn’t get our sticks on. You just have to keep going and keep playing hockey.”

(on Doughty’s goal…) “I had a late jump coming out of the zone. One of their D-men bumped me and knocked me off-balance, so my first couple of steps were a little behind Doughty and I knew he was there. I just couldn’t catch up to him in time. I thought I had my stick in the right spot. He just got by somehow and he quickly snapped it in. it was a good play on their part and a missed assignment by me.”