Game 61: Kings 4, Wild 2

• To check out the Hockeywood Dailies from this game, including post-game comments, click here ...

The Kings finally return home to play a game within the friendly confines of the Staples Center for the first time this month.

That's 24 days, 10 games, and over 9,000 miles traveled, and the Kings chose a fine time to hit their stride by going 6-1-3 with 15 points out of a possible 20.

Before they left town, the Kings were missing something. After suffering through a brutal January, the team went on their longest road trip in franchise history, and the extended journey seemed to bring focus to the club. Their GAA and penalty kill flourished, which bodes extremely well for a team that is preparing to make a postseason run.

Let's be serious, the Kings offense has been disappointing. But there's a method to the madness. In the postseason, games are played far closer to the vest. 1-0 and 2-1 games are more of the type of scores you see when each game is important. And while you need to score to win, the Kings are showing to be well-balanced. Right now, the Kings have three 20-goal scorers (Justin Williams, Ryan Smyth and Dustin Brown) with two more (Kopitar with 19 and Jarret Stoll with 16) within striking distance.

On Thursday night, the Kings were hitting on all cylinders. They outshot the Wild, were solid in the faceoff circles, and scored in a variety of ways. Wayne Simmonds had a coming-out party, turning Staples into Wayne's World. He scored a power play goal in the first and an even strength goal in the second, to finally break his 17-game drought. Not only that, but being on the top line with Kopitar has seemingly ignited Simmonds' offensive skills.

Drew Doughty also scored the tie-breaking goal in the third, while Anze Kopitar popped an empty-netter in to seal the game. It was a satisfying win, and one the team really needed. Not only to gain the all-important points, but to move the popularity needle in L.A.

Let's face it, those bandwagon fans will soon be back the closer the team gets to the playoffs. Remember, this is not new to the hard-core fans. But instead of mocking them for their freshly-creased jerseys and limited knowledge of the team (kinda like the majority of Ducks fans), I'm preaching tolerance of these unavoidable fans. Instead, I'm suggesting you take one under your wing. Show them the err of their ways and teach them about what it takes to be a true Kings fan.

• AP: Kings top Wild 4-2 in homecoming game

The Kings are still recovering from their epic jaunt across North America while the Grammys and the NBA All-Star weekend took over Staples Center, but they’ve maintained the positive energy from their 6-1-3 trip. Los Angeles built on its three-game winning streak right before leaving town, earning 15 points and extending a franchise record-tying streak of 11 consecutive games with at least one point.

• LA Times: Kings return home to defeat Wild, 4-2

There were seven teams within two points of one another, three of which were not holding playoff spots, as of Thursday morning. The Kings started the day in sixth place, one of four teams with 70 points. Before the puck got dropped, Dallas and Chicago joined that group with victories.

• LAKings.com:  It's Waynes World as Kings beat Wild 4-2

At a time of the year when a team in a playoff race has to do a little of everything in order to win, the Kings pieced together a strong effort, strong enough to earn two big points with a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night before 18,118 at STAPLES Center.

• NHL.com: Kings return home, beat Wild 4-2 

The Kings avoided the dreaded "first home game after a long road trip" jinx with a solid 4-2 victory against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night in their first game back after a 10-game trip. Drew Doughty's goal 4:35 into the third period broke a 2-2 tie and helped the Kings improve to 10-1-3 in their last 14 games by winning their first home game since Jan. 26.

They said it

“I just haven’t been getting a lot of bounces, I’ve been going to the net hard and tonight I just was getting bounces, trying to get my shots off quick, and as a result of that, I got two goals.” – Wayne Simmonds, on breaking out of his scoring drought.

“He was playing really well. He was making plays. he was responsible all over the ice and he got rewarded with two goals.” – Anze Kopitar, on the play of Wayne Simmonds.

“It was obviously great for both of us there. It’s not that we’re frustrated with the way that our seasons are going, but we’re pretty frustrated statistically.” – Drew Doughty, on the scoring efforts of Wayne Simmonds and himself.

“That road trip got old in a hurry. You woke up for a couple of games and you wondered, ‘What city am I in?’ It’s so nice just to sleep in your own bed.” – Jack Johnson, on the relief of returning home.

"It's still pretty early to look at the standings every day, and we've been doing that for three or four weeks. Usually we don't do that until mid-March." – Jarret Stoll, on watching the standings.

“We’ve got some home games. We’re in a tight race to make the playoffs. The opportunity is there for us. We can control our own destiny, I think, with a strong homestand. So Colorado is a game that we’ve got to make sure we’re focused, doing the right things.” – Coach Terry Murray, on the importance of upcoming games