Postgame Hat Trick: Kings 5, Wild 4 (OT)

Wild.com's Dan Myers gives three takeaways from the Wild's 5-4 overtime loss against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Thursday night:

1. The Wild needed that third period.
The game meant nothing to the Wild in the standings. It clinched third place in the Central Division on Wednesday night and found out about 30 minutes before the start of the contest against the Kings that Winnipeg would be its first-round opponent.
Down 4-2 after 40 minutes, however, the game could have gone off the rails for the Wild. Instead, Minnesota dug deep and rallied for a point in a game that meant a whole heck of a lot more for Los Angeles than it did to them.
The late rally wasn't enough, however, as the Kings won 23 seconds into overtime on Dustin Brown's fourth goal of the game.
2. Minnesota erased its two-goal deficit under the most unique of circumstances.
After watching the Kings score three times in the second period, erasing a 2-1 Minnesota advantage after one period, the Wild scored with an extra attacker then added a short-handed goal by Nate Prosser to draw back even.

The first goal of the period came off the stick of Eric Staal (more on that to come), his first goal in five games. It came after a lengthy delayed penalty on Los Angeles, one where Ryan Murphy made a nice play to keep the advantage going.
The second came as the Wild was killing a penalty, when Mikko Koivu found Prosser, who found himself alone with the puck between all five Kings skaters and fired a shot that got past Jonathan Quick.
It was Prosser's first career short-handed goal, his 10th NHL goal and his third goal of the season, which established a new career high.
3. Staal moved to within one goal of Marian Gaborik's team record with his third-period tally.
Staal scored goal No. 41 on Thursday, accepting a pass from Matt Dumba on an extended delayed penalty and firing a one-timer between Jonathan Quick and the right post.

Staal is the only player in team history besides Gaborik to reach the 40-goal plateau.
Related:
- Watch: Dumba beats Quick with a laser - Watch: Murphy nets deflected goal