1. The Wild won its fourth-straight game, but it didn't come easy.
A first-period goal by Eric Fehr and a second-period marker by Jonas Brodin gave Minnesota a 2-0 lead heading to the third, but Kyle Clifford made it 2-1 just under four minutes into the third.
That's when things got interesting.
After playing a relatively clean game until that point, the Wild took three consecutive penalties over the final 7 1/2 minutes of the game.
Minnesota killed the first two, and then had open season at a empty Kings net for a bulk of the final 2:25 before Mikael Granlund connected on an insurance marker with under a minute remaining. Mikko Koivu added another empty netter seconds later.
2. Ryan Suter indeed played in his 1,000th NHL game.
Among the worst kept secrets in the Twin Cities in recent days, it wasn't official until the opening puck drop, when Suter became the 325th player, the 109th defenseman and the sixth player to accomplish the feat in a Wild uniform.
He is also the 51st defenseman in League history to play in 1,000 games and score at least 500 points.
The five others to play 1,000 in a Wild sweater? Eric Staal (2017), Matt Cooke (2014), Matt Cullen (2012), Andrew Brunette (2011) and Keith Carney (2008).
3. Fehr scored his first goal as a member of the Wild.
A member of the 2003 NHL Draft class, just like Suter (and Staal and Zach Parise), Fehr's goal wasn't exactly one they'll be showing on all the late-night highlight shows. But they all look the same in the boxscore.
With the clubs skating 4-on-4, the Wild had Fehr and Marcus Foligno on the ice representing the forward group. Foligno skated down the left-wing boards with the puck and sent a centering feed to Fehr, who was hauled down while crashing the net. The puck deflected in off a sliding Fehr and past Kings goaltender Jack Campbell, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead at 15:13.
Officials did not provide a signal at first, but after a quick (virtual) huddle with the folks in Toronto, the goal was allowed.
It was the third time in nine games Minnesota hit the scoreboard first but snapped a streak of six-straight games in which opponents had tallied the first marker against the Wild.
