Predators defeat Kings, move into first in Central Division

NASHVILLE -- Roman Josi had a goal and an assist for the Nashville Predators in a 2-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.

The Predators (36-22-5) moved into first place in the Central Division, one point ahead of the Winnipeg Jets. Pekka Rinne made 28 saves.
"Big win," Rinne said. "I think all in all, great effort. We had to lock it down in the third, and I thought that we did. We didn't give up a lot of chances. They ended up hitting the post right at the end there, but other than that I thought we did a really good job. Especially the first and second, we played really strong. This time of the year, it's a great win."
WATCH: [All Kings vs. Predators highlights]
Michael Amadio scored for the Kings (23-31-6), who are 0-4-2 in the past six games and 10 points behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. Jonathan Quick made 27 saves.
"As a group, we need to find a way to manage our frustration," Los Angeles forward Dustin Brown said. "Because a lot of guys have never been on a team like this, quite honestly."
Kyle Turris gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 8:50 of the first period on the power play. Filip Forsberg delivered a cross-ice pass and Turris scored from the left face-off circle.

"We were just trying to move it around quick and open guys up and spread out their box a little bit," Turris said. "Obviously, we've got to work on our entries, but once we were in-zone I thought we were all right."
Josi made it 2-0 46 seconds into the second period on a wrist shot from the left face-off circle. Viktor Arvidsson made a backhand turn-around pass to Josi, who scored his 14th goal.
"I kind of knew when [Arvidsson] was going to pass it," Josi said. "Obviously, he's a goal-scorer, but he can be a great playmaker too. It was an unbelievable pass. It just opened up everything, and I had a lot of space right there in the middle."
Josi has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in his past nine games. He has 51 points to become the first defenseman in Nashville history with four seasons of at least 50 points.
"Definitely an honor," Josi said. "There's so many great defensemen coming through this organization. Obviously, I've played on really good teams. Credit to all of my teammates, it's definitely an honor."
Amadio cut the lead to 2-1 at 9:24 of the third period. Dion Phaneuf took the initial shot that bounced off Austin Wagner, and Amadio scored on the rebound.

They said it

"It's six in a row, so it's disappointing, I guess. I don't question anybody's work ethic, we're just not good enough right now. We've got to figure out individually how to be better and collectively to be better. There's just certain plays where we make it a little bit harder on ourselves than we need to. We have a lot of guys that are kind of learning on the fly right now, so I think it's a good opportunity for a lot of guys to play these games. At the end of the day, losing six in a row at this time of year, especially with the position we're in, it's frustrating. Tonight I thought we played a good game. They are a really good team, a really good goalie made a few big saves just like our goalie. It's a close league." -- Kings forward Dustin Brown
"I thought his last two games were really steps in the right direction. Tonight I thought he was one of our most noticeable players, just with his speed [and] the offense that he brought to the game. I thought [Arvidsson] jumping down there did a good job. [Calle Jarnkrok] had a good game, so to me that line was clicking pretty good. Kyle played a strong game for us." -- Predators coach Peter Laviolette on Kyle Turris rounding into form after two separate long-term injuries this season

Need to know

The Kings traded forward Carl Hagelin to the Washington Capitals on Thursday for a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. … Josi had three shots on goal and three blocked shots in 23:42.

What's next

Kings: At the Florida Panthers on Saturday (5 p.m. ET; FS-F, FS-W, NHL.TV)
Predators:Host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET; FS-TN, ALT, NHL.TV)