After needing overtime to defeat the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night, the Kings faced a tough back-to-back tilt on Tuesday. Going up against a rested Nashville Predators team, the Kings needed all 60 minutes of regulation and more to come out victorious in Smashville.
The game didn't not start as the Kings had hoped when Cody Glass netted the game's first goal for the Predators on the first shot just 1:32 into the game. Glass's goal came on a 6-on-5 opportunity with a delayed penalty against the Kings and was the former sixth overall pick's (VGK) first for the Predators in 13 career games. Following the early goal, the remainder of the period went scoreless. First period shots on goals ended as such: Kings 11, Predators 5.
Opening the second period scoring was Gabriel Vilardi, who continues his impressive start to the season. Vilardi tipped in a beautiful shot by his fellow young counterpart Arthur Kaliyev on the Kings power play 4:24 into the middle stanza. Despite the early second period goal for the Kings, the Predators would have the last laugh, scoring the last two goals of the period. Filip Forsberg put the home team back in the lead on an almost-impossible-to-stop one-timer at the 8:32 mark and Tanner Jeannot doubled the lead with a wraparound rebound goal with just 31 seconds remaining in the period.
Down by two, the Kings didn't blink. Outshooting the Predators 15-3 in the third period, the Kings fought back to tie the game. With both goals coming from the stick of Mr. October, aka Matt Roy, the Michigan-native netted his second and third goals of the season. (Roy scores two goals in 67 games for the Kings last season and has never scored more than four goals in a season).
10/18 FINAL - Kings 4, Predators 3 (SO)
Comeback Kings strike late thanks to Mr. October, aka Matt Roy, win in shootout.
Vilardi pushes Kings to 4-3 victory in a shootout
