The LA Kings skated to a 3-2 shootout victory over the Nashville Predators on Monday evening at Crypto.com Arena, moving into sole possession of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
After an aggressive, forechecking start, Kings forward Joel Armia opened the scoring just shy of six minutes into the game. Armia forced a turnover in the neutral zone and went the other way with possession, delaying slightly to avoid offsides. Armia then circled the net and after his centering feed was poke-checked away by Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros, the puck came right back to Armia and he buried the game’s first goal from close range.
Skating on a two-man advantage early in the second period, Nashville tied the game at one with a 5-on-3 goal. After establishing possession in the offensive zone, the Predators worked the puck to forward Steven Stamkos in the left-hand circle, where he one-timed a shot past Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg and in for his second goal in as many games against the Kings, his 39th of the season, and a tie game.
Just shy of the final media timeout in the second period, the third line scored another goal, putting the Kings back on top through 40 minutes of play. Forward Jared Wright showcased his blazing speed down the right wing, working his way into the offensive zone with possession. Before he went behind the net, Wright dropped the puck into the low slot, to forward Scott Laughton, for the go-ahead goal that put the Kings ahead 2-1.
Inside the first five minutes of the third period, Nashville tied the game at two with a goal from captain Roman Josi. A heavy shot by forward Filip Forsberg missed the net, but the puck took a hard bounce off the endboards, kicking directly to Josi in the left-hand circle. The Swiss blueliner shot the puck first time, off Forsberg’s glove and in for his 13th goal of the season and a 2-2 score.
After an overtime that came and went without a goal, the game progressed into a shootout, the third time this season these two teams have played in a shootout. Forward Adrian Kempe scored the only goal, with Forsberg making all three saves to earn the two points and move the Kings into sole possession of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Hear from Forsberg, Wright and Interim D.J. Smith after tonight’s victory.
