ST. PAUL, Minn. _ Wild center Eric Staal threw 20 pucks on net as he tried to revive a scoring touch that went dormant during a nine-game hiatus.
But a shot that didn't even require Staal's stick was the one to finally snap his skid, and the timing helped the Wild snag a 3-2 shootout win Tuesday in front of 19,017 at Xcel Energy Center that ended the team's two-game slide against some of the NHL's bottom feeders.
Winger Jason Zucker was the only scorer in the shootout, using a backhand to settle a back-and-forth third period that started with Staal's goal.
Defenseman Ryan Suter's heave at the net caromed off Staal 7:13 into the third period, nixing a 1-1 tie.
The goal was Staal's 14th of the season and first since Dec.27; it was his longest drought since he went goalless Jan.21-Feb.16, 2017, Staal's first season with the Wild.
With 2:30 remaining, the Kings evened it when center Jeff Carter directed in a puck as he was crashing the crease.
Wild Backup Alex Stalock finished with 31 saves in addition to three in the shootout, while goalie Jonathan Quick made 40 stops for the Kings.
A close finish didn't appear like a given considering how the Wild started.
Despite being scoreless with the Kings after one period, the Wild could easily have pulled away amid a string of quality chances _ pressure that made it look like players were eager and ready to atone for a letdown the night earlier in Philadelphia during a 7-4 loss against the former last-place team in the NHL.
That distinction flipped to Los Angeles after the Flyers' win, but Quick kept the team even with the Wild.
He turned aside early shots from Zucker and center Charlie Coyle before getting in front of a one-timer from rookie Jordan Greenway. Zucker had two other shots stopped, leading all players with three pucks on net in the first.
A Suter shot in the second came close to breaking the stalemate, as it clanked off the post before tumbling under Quick.
The sequence was reviewed to determine if the puck slipped over the line, but the original, no-goal call stood.
Finally, 10 minutes, 16 seconds into the middle frame, the Wild converted when winger Nino Niederreiter slung a shot through traffic by Quick.
Not only was the goal Niederreiter's second in his last three games, but it came amid a demotion to the fourth line _ the second time this season that kind of change of scenery has complemented Niederreiter.
During a 4-2 comeback victory over the Winnipeg Jets Nov.23, Niederreiter scored and set up another while on the bottom unit.
Lately, though, that trio has been productive regardless of who's filled it out.
With assists on the play, winger Marcus Foligno and center Joel Eriksson Ek recorded their second point in as many games after each scored against the Flyers.
Niederreiter also extended his point streak, pushing his run to three games _ which ties his season-best.
Before the second expired, the Kings tied it.
After Stalock _ making his ninth start of the season _ knocked down a Dustin Brown shot, winger Ilya Kovalchuk buried the rebound at 16:03.
But the Wild reset for the third; instead of shrinking like they had in previous games when they needed a heavy response after falling behind to the Flyers _ and the Red Wings before that _ the Wild continued to test Quick.