3 first-period goals lead Wild over Kings

With three goals in the first period, the Minnesota Wild ran its winning streak to five games on Friday night, defeating the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 3-1.

Minnesota's first-period barrage started at the 12:33 mark when Kirill Kaprizov scored his fifth goal of the season from Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin.

Less than two minutes later, Nick Bjugstad put himself on the score sheet with his third goal of the season and the 100th of his career from Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter.

Joel Eriksson Ek made it three goals in 3:03 when he scored his seventh goal of the season from Kevin Fiala and Jordan Greenway.

A 3-0 lead was more than enough for Wild goalie Cam Talbot, who made his first start since Feb. 2. Talbot stopped 27 of 28 shots and didn't lose the shutout until Jeff Carter scored with 2:50 remaining in the game.

Although Carter's goal put a blemish on Talbot's night, the Wild held on to come away with their fifth straight victory.

The Wild are now 11-6-0 on the season and will host a rematch with the Kings on Saturday night.