Kings to Play in Minnesota Tonight

The Kings will reach the midway point of their season tonight when they play the Minnesota North Stars.

Last season at this stage, the Kings had a 16-16-8 record, but they are 12-23-4 this time around.

Minnesota (15-17-7) has won six of its last seven games and is in third place in the Norris Division, one point behind the St. Louis Blues. The North Stars defeated the Kings, 4-2, on Nov. 23 at the Met Center here.

Center Neal Broten of the North Stars missed practice Thursday because he was in court, where he was convicted of drunken driving. Broten was fined $250. He also was sentenced to 30 days in jail, but that was suspended for a year pending his completion of a drug-alcohol awareness program.

Broten is the team’s leading scorer with 16 goals in 39 games.