Scoring goals figured to get tougher for the Wild after they traded Kevin Fiala, but the problem two games into the season is keeping the puck out of their own net.
The Wild couldn't overcome yet another leaky display on defense and were edged 7-6 by the Fiala-led Kings on Saturday in front of 18,421 at Xcel Energy Center to remain winless.
And next up? None other than the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche.
"It's definitely not the start that we're looking for, not the start I'm looking for to the season," goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said. "Very frustrating, embarrassing, for myself to give up so much this early in the season at home, especially in front of our fans."
Fiala made a splashy return to St. Paul after his offseason trade to Los Angeles, scoring a goal and assisting on two others to pick up his first points with the Kings and help them to their first victory of the season.
His line also delivered the game-winner, a shot by Adrian Kempe that broke a hard-earned 6-6 tie by the Wild, who finally pulled even at 7:32 of the third period on Sam Steel's first goal with the team. But 31 seconds later, Kempe reestablished a Los Angeles lead the Kings wouldn't relinquish.
"We just scored right back," Fiala said. "We killed their momentum."
Cal Petersen finished with 29 saves, including a goal-line stop against Joel Eriksson Ek with just seconds to go, and Fiala's line combined for nine points.
"Obviously a little more motivated playing against them, my old team," Fiala said. "But it was good, a good first step in our direction and myself as well."
That trio had the Wild chasing Los Angeles early, with Kempe burying a Fiala pass off the rush just 4:28 after puck drop.
Then at 8:55, the Kings fed a Ryan Hartman turnover to Gabe Vilardi for the deposit behind Fleury. By 11:13, Los Angeles widened its cushion to three goals on a power play one-timer by Drew Doughty that Fiala factored into.
"Just little momentary lapses and they seem to end up in the back of the net every time," Steel said. "We have to clean that up. We'd like to do it immediately because you're not going to win games giving up that many goals against."
Just 1:44 later and after calling a timeout, the Wild retaliated on a Jake Middleton point shot before Marcus Foligno trimmed the deficit to a goal at 16:43 when he lifted in a backhander as he was falling to the ice.
"We were a lot better after that timeout," Foligno said. "As players, we take that upon ourselves to hold each other accountable."
But with 1:32 left in the first period, the Kings moved ahead 4-2 when a long unobstructed shot from Alex Iafallo eluded Fleury, who smacked his stick against the boards in the aftermath.
"Just stupid," Fleury said.
When the period wrapped, the Wild were booed off the ice. Fleury did not return for the second, getting pulled in a change coach Dean Evason said was designed to spark the team. Fleury exited with 10 saves on 14 shots.
"I don't blame them," Fleury said. "I'd boo myself. I was not good. I feel bad for the fans. I feel bad for my teammates. I've got to be better."
Filip Gustavsson, whom the Wild acquired in the Cam Talbot trade with Ottawa, made his team debut and racked up 17 saves in relief while also absorbing the loss.
Gustavsson's first stop came against Fiala, setting the tone for a better start by the Wild that also featured a power-play goal from Eriksson Ek off a Kirill Kaprizov pass at 5:25, but Fiala would eventually convert. He turned in his own power-play tally at 9:11, with Los Angeles going 2-for-6.
The power play was also key for the Wild: Kaprizov responded at 12:12 after an assist by Gustavsson, his first ever, to become the first goalie in franchise history to post a helper in his team debut.
Again, the Kings answered back, this time courtesy a Matt Roy point shot with 6:50 left in the second, but so did the Wild; just 5:56 into the third, Mats Zuccarello delivered the third power-play goal; overall, the Wild went 3-for-6.
This was the fourth time the Wild clawed back within a goal of Los Angeles after going down 3-0 and even though they eventually reached equilibrium, they never ended up surpassing the Kings.
But it's their defense, not their offense, that's on the hot seat during this 0-2 start.
Through six periods of play, the Wild have been tagged for 14 goals. They dropped the season opener 7-3 to the Rangers on Thursday.
"We've got to sharpen up," Zuccarello said. "We can't play like that."
