LOS ANGELES — Instead of jetting off to a new city, the Wild hung around Los Angeles after its season opener for a double dose of the Kings — one of the quirks in the 2021 schedule that has the Wild playing every opponent at least twice before moving on to someone else.
The rematch didn't hint at a rivalry brewing between these new neighbors in the West Division, but it did suggest just how competitive the standings might be.
After claiming Round 1 in overtime Thursday, the Wild followed a similar script by overcoming a two-goal deficit in the third period to eke out a 4-3 overtime victory — starting 2-0 for the first time since 2015.
Next up is two in a row in Anaheim, starting Monday.
Defenseman Ryan Suter sent the game to extra time when he scored with two seconds remaining in the third period, and center Marcus Johansson completed the rally on a rising shot with 11 seconds to go for the two-game sweep.
Cam Talbot had 30 saves for the Wild, and the Kings' Jonathan Quick totaled 40.
Like Thursday when the Wild came from behind for a 4-3 victory, capped off by Kirill Kaprizov's over-time winner to seal a three-point NHL debut for the rookie, the Kings were the first to rally.
Just 21 seconds after the game's first faceoff, the Wild converted on a fortunate play as defenseman Matt Dumba's centering feed from below the goal line caromed off Los Angeles' Kurtis MacDermid and behind Quick.
Despite the fortuitous bounce, the play was a credit to the Wild's third line — which won the faceoff to maintain pressure in the Kings' end and winger Jordan Greenway's rush to the inside created the lane for Dumba to pinch.
With the secondary assist on Dumba's goal, Suter notched the 500th of his career. He's just the second active NHL defenseman to reach that mark and only 28th all time. The assist was also Suter's 300th with the Wild, making him the second to hit the plateau (Mikko Koivu has 504).
But the Wild's lead didn't make it to intermission.
At 16:58, a rebound rolled through the crease behind Talbot and Gabe Vilardi barely tapped the puck over the goal line. The sequence, which began after a turnover by center Nick Bjugstad, actually went to video review to confirm the puck completely crossed into the net.
In the second, the Kings pulled away.
First, Lindstrom's Blake Lizotte deflected in a Drew Doughty point shot at 7:02.
And then only 3:20 later while action was at 4 on 4, Andreas Athanasiou took advantage of a Kaprizov turnover — leading a 2-on-1 rush into the Wild's zone and finishing off a give-and-go passing play with Jeff Carter for the 3-1 cushion.
Soon after, the Wild was awarded a power play but a Kaprizov turnover sparked another 2-on-1 look for Los Angeles and Kaprizov took a slashing penalty on the backcheck that negated the Wild's opportunity.
Overall, the Wild went 0 for 5 on the power play after a 0-for-6 start in Game No. 1. Coach Dean Evason even tried to mix up the team's units, but nothing clicked — a familiar problem from the end of last season when the Wild's struggles with the man advantage helped spur its expulsion from the playoff bubble in a four-game, qualifying-round loss to Vancouver.
As for the Kings, they also finished 0 for 5 on the power play.
The Wild were down 3-1 after two periods Thursday, but that's when the team put another comeback in the works — starting with a put-back from center Joel Eriksson Ek at 7:38 to trim the deficit to 1. Greenway registered his second assist of the night on the play.
And then at 19:58, Suter walked into a loose puck and the shot sailed by Quick's glove to extend the action between these two teams for a second straight game.
