Wild seeking third straight win vs. lowly Kings
03/02/2008
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Los Angeles (26-36-4) at Minnesota (36-24-5) 7:00 pm EST ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Ticker) - The Minnesota Wild aim to move
back into first place in the Northwest Division on Sunday when
they host the Los Angeles Kings. Minnesota enters the contest tied with Calgary atop the
division. Defenseman Brent Burns scored the game-winner and set up another
goal as the Wild defeated the Florida Panthers, 3-2, on Friday
for their second straight win. Burns' tally ended his nine-game goal scoring drought. The
22-year-old has 11 tallies and 33 points on the season. The Kings, who own the NHL's worst record, are hoping to avoid
their fourth straight loss. Los Angeles is coming off a 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche
on Saturday, which was marred by Colorado left wing Ryan Smyth
getting carted off the ice on a stretcher. In the waning moments of the second period, Smyth was driven
face-first into the boards by Kings rookie defenseman Jack
Johnson. Smyth, who stayed on the ice for several minutes
before being placed on a stretcher, was conscious and walking in
the locker room before being taken to the hospital for
precautionary reasons. "He's a great player for them and it's unfortunate. He hit the
turnbuckle there," Johnson said. "I don't want to hurt anyone
out there. I was trying to play hard and pinch him off and get
the puck, and he ended up getting pushed right into the
turnbuckle."
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