Tie Against Wild Still Doesn’t Sit Well

The sting of a bad finish was still fresh Friday morning.

That the Kings got a point in the standings after Thursday’s 1-1 tie with the Minnesota Wild went virtually unnoticed.

“It felt like a loss, didn’t it?” Coach Andy Murray said.

A day later, it was tough to argue.

These are the games the Kings need to stuff under the victory column if they want to play beyond April 4. A late lead against the lowest-scoring team in the Western Conference should be able to stand up.

When it doesn’t, courtesy of a goal by Jason Wiemer with 2:17 left in the third period, it becomes time for introspection. And, as can be the case this season, lineup changes.

Murray almost always keeps the lineup intact after a solid victory. After a bad loss or poorly earned tie, however, the fourth line can get shuffled or a defenseman can get scratched in favor of a different one.

“We’ve been pretty good after a performance we’re not happy with,” Murray said.

With winger Dustin Brown and defenseman Jason Holland healthy, one or both could play tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, a team that, like the Kings, is trying to secure a playoff spot, albeit in a different conference: The Canadiens are seventh in the East, the Kings eighth in the West.

*

TONIGHT

vs. Montreal, 7, Fox Sports Net

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- KSPN (710).

Records -- Kings 25-18-16-7, Canadiens 35-26-6-2.

Record vs. Canadiens (2002-03) -- 1-1.

Update -- The Canadiens have been busy this week, acquiring right wing Alexei Kovalev from the New York Rangers and center Jim Dowd from the Minnesota Wild.