ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Wild saved their best for last.
After an uneven start, the Wild wrapped up a seven-game homestand on Tuesday by slowing down the high-scoring Kings, 2-1, in front of an announced 18,012 at Xcel Energy Center to win three in a row.
Overall, they went 4-2-1 in St. Paul and the Wild have picked up at least a point in five of their last six games.
This is their first 3-0 run since Jan. 12-17, and they tied the Avalanche at 67 points although Colorado held onto third place in the Central Division because the Wild have played more games. They now have a four-point lead over Calgary for the second wild-card seed in the Western Conference.
Next up for the Wild is a two-game road trip that begins on Thursday at Columbus.
Ryan Hartman supplied the offense, converting on a shot that sailed over Kings goalie Pheonix Copley's right shoulder just 13 seconds into the second period before going glove-side with 4:48 to go in the third for three goals in his last two games and his second multi-goal effort of the season.
Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar spoiled goaltender Filip Gustavsson's shutout bid with 21 seconds left.
The first Hartman finish of the night was the 100th of his NHL career and the first he shot into the net since Dec. 31 at St. Louis after his two previous tallies deflected in off his body: The carom off his chest Sunday was the game-winner in a 4-3 photo finish against Nashville, and a puck that clipped the inside of Hartman's left elbow was the equalizer in an eventual 3-2 shootout vs. New Jersey on Feb. 11. Before that, Hartman batted a puck into the net Jan. 7 at Buffalo.
This goal, though, wasn't the first puck the Wild put in the Los Angeles net.
Adam Beckman wired a puck behind Copley from in-tight on the power play in the first period, but the Kings challenged the play and video review determined Hartman was off-side before the Wild scored to overturn what would have been Beckman's first NHL goal.
The Wild finished 0 for 3 on the power play, while the Kings failed to capitalize on their only look in the first period. That signaled 21 consecutive penalty kills for the Wild over a season-best eight straight games.
For 10-plus minutes after Hartman's second-period goal, the Wild didn't record a shot, but Gustavsson fended off the pressure from the Kings, who had won the previous two matchups this season against the Wild.
One of Gustavsson's best saves came in the first period when he slid across to make a pad save on a 2-on-1 chance.
In the second, the paddle of his stick got a piece of a Drew Doughty attempt and Gustavsson was also locked-in during a wrap-around by former Wild forward Kevin Fiala that led to a close call on the rebound.
In the end, Gustavsson stopped 33 shots aimed his direction against a Los Angeles lineup that registered at least five goals in each of its previous four games.
Not only was this the 17th time in 24 starts Gustavsson has limited the opposition to two goals or less, but he's denied 145 of the past 153 shots he's faced during a 4-0-1 stretch. Since Nov. 19, Gustavsson is 14-4-1. This was his third straight start, which ties Gustavsson's season high; the last time that happened was Nov. 17-23 while Marc-Andre Fleury was injured.
Copley had 18 stops.
