After a six-goal output in San Jose on Saturday night, the Nashville Predators are back in Los Angeles to face the Kings once again for a 9:30 p.m. CT puck drop at Crypto.com Arena. Tonight’s contest is the second meeting in the past five days between the Preds and Kings in L.A., the first of which saw Nashville prevail in an eight-round shootout last Thursday.
That victory over the Kings marked the start of a massive five-game roadtrip for the Predators as they fight for their playoff lives, and Saturday’s 6-3 triumph over the Sharks bumped Nashville back into the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
Now, with the Preds and Kings deadlocked at 81 points apiece, the title of biggest game of the season belongs to this tilt tonight in Southern California.
“I think we knew this trip was going to be a really important one, obviously playing pretty much every team on this trip is somebody we're trying to chase,” Preds winger Filip Forsberg said following Saturday’s win. “Taking care of business so far, but another massive match again on Monday, and just really all we can focus on is that next one.”
“Excited - I mean, it's the best time of year to play hockey,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said Saturday. “Get to go into another hard building and play a team we had just played two nights ago, and it's the best time of year to play and we're excited for that challenge.”
Nashville’s lineup remained unchanged on Saturday with Ryan Ufko and Ozzy Wiesblatt serving as healthy scratches. Preds defenseman Nic Hague left Saturday’s game due to injury and did not return. The Predators did not practice on Sunday but are expected to hold a morning skate today.
The Good Guys:
Filip Forsberg scored twice, and Tyson Jost had three third period points in Saturday’s 6-3 win over the Sharks. Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly and Erik Haula also tallied for the Preds, and Juuse Saros collected the win.
Forsberg has 37 goals and leads the Preds with 71 points, followed by O’Reilly (25g-44a) with 69 points. Steven Stamkos paces the Preds with 38 goals and has 60 points, while Roman Josi has 39 assists and 51 points. Saros is now 28-20-7 in net; Justus Annunen is 8-11-2.
The Opposition:
The Kings fell to the Preds by a 5-4 count in a shootout on Thursday, but they rebounded with a 7-6 overtime victory against Toronto on Saturday. Los Angeles set the NHL record in that win with their 31st overtime game of the season.
Artemi Panarin, who was traded to Los Angeles from the New York Rangers earlier this season, has 27 goals and 80 points on the season. Adrian Kempe has 32 goals and 69 points, while Quinton Byfield has 20 goals and 44 points. Darcy Kuemper, who took the loss against the Preds on Thursday, is 19-14-14 in net; Anton Forsberg is 12-11-5.
All-Time Meetings:
The Preds are 46-30-(3)-10 all-time against the Kings, including a 26-13-(0)-7 mark on the road. Nashville is 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings versus Los Angeles and 4-0-1 in the last five at Crypto.com Arena.
Jonathan Marchessault has posted 29 points (11g-18a) in 39 career games against the Kings; it’s the second-most points he has collected against any single team. He recorded a seven-game point streak against the Kings (4g-5a) from Dec. 28, 2021-Nov. 8, 2023.
Filip Forsberg has tallied 14 points (6g-8a) in his last 20 contests against Los Angeles, and 18 points (7g-11a) in 31 career games vs. the Kings.
Nashville Notables:
Filip Forsberg scored twice in the first period in a 76-second span on Saturday and extended his road goal streak to five games. He already owns the longest run in franchise history (six games from Nov. 2-18, 2014).
Steven Stamkos put the Predators up 3-0 going into the first intermission and needs two tallies for his eighth career 40-goal season. He would be the third different 40-goal scorer for the Predators.
Ryan O’Reilly tallied the game-winner in the final frame for his 25th of the season and the fourth time in his career he has hit that mark.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for tonight’s contest begins at 9 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and Chris Mason will have the call on the television side. Max Herz and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network.
