LOS ANGELES -- Nino Niederreiter scored the tying goal early in the third period and netted the only goal in a four-round shootout to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. Randy White Jersey . The Wild, playing their first game since leading scorer Mikko Koivu broke his ankle Saturday at Washington, have won three straight for the first time since Nov. 1-5. Koivu underwent surgery on Monday and is expected to miss at least four weeks. Minor league call-up Darcy Kuemper made 17 of his 39 saves during the first period in his third appearance this season and fifth NHL start. Jarret Stoll scored for the Kings, and Jonathan Quick made 16 saves in his second straight start after missing 24 games because of a groin injury. Coming off a 5-3 victory in which they were outshot 30-11 by the Capitals, the Wild were outshot 30-9 by Los Angeles through the first two periods of the scoreless game. Kuemper stopped seven shots during the Kings first power play, which came after Matt Cooke was sent off for slashing at 6:47 of the second. The 6-foot-5 goalie got a break midway through the period, when Dwight King hit the right post with a shot from the left point after a turnover by Minnesota defenceman Keith Ballard. Another Kings scoring chance came with about 5 minutes left in the first when Carter stickhandled around Ryan Suter in the left circle and found King cruising down the slot. King fanned on the shot. The Kings got on the board 50 seconds into the third. Jeff Carter got the puck from King along the right boards in the Minnesota zone and circled the net before setting up Stoll in the low slot. It was Stolls sixth of the season and first in his last 12 games against the Wild. Minnesota tied it at 3:25 when Jason Pominville set up Niederreiter in front of the crease with a pass from the right point after Niederreiter got a step behind defenceman Drew Doughty. The teams met for the first time since opening night, when the Kings won 3-2 in a shootout at Minnesota. NOTES: Wild forward Zach Parise (lower body) missed his seventh straight game. ... Minnesota G Josh Harding, who was pulled from each of his two starts at Los Angeles, missed his third straight game as he adjusts to new medication for multiple sclerosis. ... Kings C Mike Richards hasnt scored in 19 games, the third-longest drought of his nine-year NHL career. ... The Kings are 5 for 65 on the power play over their last 22 games. ... Los Angeles has had six players chosen to play in the upcoming Olympics: Carter and Doughty (Canada), Quick and Dustin Brown (USA), Anze Kopitar (Slovenia) and Slava Voynov (Russia). ... Minnesotas 7-12-3 road record is the second-worst in the NHL, ahead of only Buffalo. Troy Aikman Shirts . They just probably couldnt have imagined how much. Blake Griffin had 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists Sunday night as Los Angeles stormed out to a 31-point lead in the first quarter with its All-Star point guard back on the court and pummeled the Philadelphia 76ers 123-78. Dan Bailey Womens Jersey . The agreement Thursday was for $5,000 above the midpoint between the $2.4 million he had asked for and the $1.6 million the Indians had offered when the sides exchanged arbitration figures last month.LONDON -- Flanker Tom Wood will miss Englands first two Six Nations matches because of a toe injury, robbing the side of a potential captain. The Rugby Football Union says the 25-year-old Wood has to wear a protective left boot for four weeks because of the injury to his big toe. He will miss games against Sccotland and Italy. Terrance Williams Shirts. Wood and fellow backrower Chris Robshaw had been the most likely candidates to replace the retired Lewis Moody as captain for Stuart Lancasters first game as England coach. The time given for recovery means he could return to face Wales at Twickenham on Feb. 25. ' ' '
