ST. PAUL, Minn. _ The Wild have occupied the third spot in the Central Division for weeks, taking possession ever since they moved in after a win Feb. 23.
And although the Wild will be idle until Saturday, the point they secured from a 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings on Monday in front of 19,081 at Xcel Energy Center extended their lease.
With 90 points, the Wild have a four-point edge over the Avalanche _ the closest threat in the division. And since the Avalanche will play only twice during the Wild's break, they could tie the Wild but wouldn't overtake it since the Wild would hold the first tiebreaker (fewer games played).
A regulation loss, however, would have left the Wild vulnerable to drop, and the team displayed the urgency expected of a team not wanting to get downgraded despite coming up short in the end.
Kings center Jeff Carter delivered the game-winner with 34 seconds remaining in the extra period after the Kings tied it at 3 on a Dustin Brown deflection with 47 seconds to go in the third. Before that, center Joel Eriksson Ek moved the Wild ahead after sliding the puck around goalie Jonathan Quick, giving the Wild the lead after the team tripped into a two-goal hole.
Winger Zach Parise cut the deficit in half at 12:08 of the second period, skating across the offensive zone after accepting a Nino Niederreiter pass and roofing the puck over Quick.
And then, with 56 seconds remaining in the period, defenseman Ryan Suter sprung center Eric Staal for a partial breakaway and Staal did what he's done all season _ bury the puck, wiring it past Quick for his 39th of the season and 71st point.
Staal's 39 goals are the second-most in a single season by a Wild player in team history, trailing just Marian Gaborik's 42 in 2007-08. He's also on the brink of 40 for the first time in his career since he was a 24-year-old in 2008-09.
As for Suter, the assist was his 43rd _ tying his single-season high and Wild franchise record by a defenseman.
That set up a crucial third period, which saw a continued push by the Wild. The team had a failed two-on-one and winger Charlie Coyle hit the post before Eriksson Ek's winner, a better finish than the Wild's somewhat sluggish start.
The team had a few looks on Quick in the first period, but it didn't have the same zip that carried it in the second half. This mostly matched the intensity of the Kings, but their execution was superior.
With 1:13 left in the first, the Kings opened the scoring when winger Tanner Pearson one-timed a behind-the-back Dustin Brown feed by goalie Devan Dubnyk.
Penalty trouble proved costly for the Wild early in the second.
Although the team successfully killed off a Parise high-sticking minor, even generating a few quality chances on Quick while draining the clock, a Suter holding penalty less than a minute after Parise left the box put the Wild back on the penalty kill.
And just eight seconds into the advantage, the Kings converted _ with Carter swatting in a puck from the back post at 6:21.
Los Angeles finished 1-for-2 on the power play, while the Wild blanked on their lone chance.
Dubnyk had 26 saves, and Quick stopped 24.
