Kings at Predators preview

KINGS (6-11-1) at PREDATORS (13-5-1)
8 p.m. ET; FS-W, FS-TN, NHL.TV

The Kings will play the second half of a back-to-back set; they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 in a shootout Friday. Goalie Calvin Petersen made 33 saves to get the win in his first NHL start.
The Predators will play eight of their next nine games at home. Craig Smith skated alongside Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen at the morning skate. Forward Viktor Arvidsson, who is normally on the top line, is out 6-8 weeks with a lower-body injury.

Players to watch

Los Angeles forward Ilya Kovalchuk has no points in his past four games after having three goals and six assists during a four-game point streak.
Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne is 5-1-1 with a 1.28 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage in his past eight starts.

They said it

"It was a moment that I've thought about in my head for a really long time. I'm just really glad and honored it came while I was wearing a Kings uniform. The guys battled incredibly hard in front of me, and I was just a recipient of a lot of very hard play." -- Kings goaltender Calvin Petersen on his first NHL win
"I think we've been talking about playing better at home this whole year, and this is a great stretch for that. We love playing at home. We love our fans here. It's unbelievable to play here, so we've got to make sure we take care of those wins." -- Predators defenseman Roman Josi on playing eight of the next nine games at home

Kings projected lineup

Alex Iafallo -- Anze Kopitar -- Dustin Brown
Ilya Kovalchuk -- Jeff Carter -- Tyler Toffoli
Carl Hagelin -- Adrian Kempe -- Matt Luff
Kyle Clifford -- Nate Thompson -- Trevor Lewis
Derek Forbort -- Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin -- Alec Martinez
Dion Phaneuf -- Oscar Fantenberg
Calvin Petersen
Cole Kehler
Scratched:Paul LaDue, Michael Amadio
Injured:Peter Budaj (illness), Jack Campbell (knee), Jonathan Quick (knee), Jonny Brodzinski (shoulder)

Predators projected lineup

Filip Forsberg -- Ryan Johansen -- Craig Smith
Calle Jarnkrok -- Kyle Turris -- Kevin Fiala
Colton Sissons -- Nick Bonino -- Austin Watson
Miikka Salomaki -- Frederick Gaudreau -- Ryan Hartman
Roman Josi -- Ryan Ellis
Dan Hamhuis -- Mattias Ekholm
Anthony Bitetto -- Yannick Weber
Pekka Rinne
Juuse Saros
Scratched:Matt Irwin, Zac Rinaldo, Rocco Grimaldi
Injured:Viktor Arvidsson (broken thumb), P.K. Subban (upper body)

Status report

The Kings did not have a morning skate. … Fiala was on the second line at Nashville's morning skate alongside Jarnkrok and Turris. He skated with Johansen and Forsberg in a 2-1 loss at the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday.

Stat pack

Kopitar has 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 40 games against the Predators. … Rinne is 13-7-5 with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage in 25 games against the Kings.