The LA Kings overturned a three-goal deficit to come back and force the game into a shootout, though they set an NHL record for overtime/shootout defeats as they fell 5-4 in the shootout against the Nashville Predators on Thursday evening at Crypto.com Arena.
After Nashville had a goal disallowed for playing the puck with a high stick just 17 seconds into the game, the visitors opened the scoring still inside the game’s first minute, via forward Filip Forsberg. In the corner, deep in the offensive zone, Forsberg’s shot from the outside snuck through Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper and in, putting the Predators ahead 1-0 very early in the evening.
The Predators made it 2-0 inside the game’s first four minutes. A Nashville shot from the outside was blocked down in the slot, but forward Zachary L’Heureux was first to the rebound, which he collected, deked onto the backhand and beat Kuemper from in tight, giving the visitors an early two-goal advantage off a fast start to the game.
Early in the second period, Nashville made it 3-0 as forward Jonathan Marchessault got on the board. After defenseman Drew Doughty turned the puck over in his own zone, through the middle of the ice, Nashville capitalized. The Predators had another shot from the point blocked down, but the rebound fell directly to Marchessault in a dangerous area, with the winger burying his 12th goal of the season for a three-goal lead.
Just over six minutes into the middle stanza, the Kings finally got on the board, as forward Adrian Kempe pulled one back for the hosts. Forward Artemi Panarin used his skill on the puck to maintain control as he fell to the ice, before he fired a pass to Kempe at the back post, with the Swede burying from close range, moving the Kings back to within two goals.
The visitors answered just over two minutes later, however, restoring a three-goal advantage midway through the second period. Nashville attacked quickly in transition, with forward Ryan O’Reilly leading a 2-on-1 rush the other way. O’Reilly held the puck down the left wing before he found forward Steven Stamkos driving the net, with the veteran scoring his team-leading 37th goal of the season to put the Predators ahead 4-1.
Kempe struck back once again, as he reached the 30-goal mark for the fourth time in five seasons with his second goal of the second period. Kempe made the play happen as he chased down a loose puck after his own shot was blocked and he ripped the second effort past Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros for the goal, with forward Anze Kopitar collecting an assist on the night he was honored by the team with a pre-game ceremony.
Shortly before the end of the second period, the Kings pulled back to within a single goal, taking the game into the second intermission at 4-3. Attacking off the rush, forward Joel Armia got a shot through from the high slot, with Saros making the save, but forward Scott Laughton drove the net aggressively and buried the rebound from close range for his 12th goal of the season, bringing Los Angeles within one.
Just shy of the halfway mark in the third period, the kings came all the way back to tie the game at four. Forward Jared Wright used his speed to gain a half step down the right wing and although his shot was kept out by Saros, the puck trickled through his legs and into the crease, with Armia driving the net to bury the loose puck for the game-tying goal, his second point of the game.
The remainder of the third period and overtime came and went without a goal, leading into a shootout. The two teams combined for 15 consecutive shooters without a goal, before forward Luke Evangelista won the game in the eighth round with the only goal of the skills competition, to earn Nashville the second point.
Hear from Kopitar, Armia and Interim D.J. Smith following tonight’s game.
