Duchene Nets Shootout-Winner as Predators Defeat Kings 2-1

Kevin Lankinen backstopped the Nashville Predators to a 2-1 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
It was Lankinen's first shootout as a member of the Predators. He made 26 saves in goal for Nashville, who moved to 32-24-7 on the season.

THE STORY

Mikey Anderson got the Kings on the board first, firing a shot from the edge of the circle past Lankinen to give Los Angeles the 1-0 lead at 9:32 of the first period.
With Alex Iafallo in the box for tripping against Ryan McDonagh, the Predators got their first power-play opportunity with a minute remaining in the first period. It only took four seconds on the man advantage for Tommy Novak to net the equalizer for Nashville, sending a laser wrist shot past Pheonix Copley to tie the score at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.

Novak's power-play tally would be the final goal scored in regulation, as two scoreless frames gave way to overtime and, ultimately, a shootout. Matt Duchene scored the lone goal in the shootout for the 2-1 final.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Egor's Debut
Forward Egor Afanasyev skated in his first career NHL game after being recalled from Milwaukee (AHL) on Saturday.
The 22-year-old has 26 points (13g-13a) in 55 games for the Admirals this season, his second professional campaign in North America. His career-high 13 goals are the third-most on Milwaukee in 2022-23, and he is one of two Admirals skaters to score both on the power play (2) and shorthanded (1). In addition to sitting third on Milwaukee in shots on goal (123), the 6-foot-4, 211-pound forward has tallied seven power-play points (2g-5a) and owns a +3 rating. Last season, his first in the AHL, Afanasyev led all Milwaukee rookies in assists (21) and was second in goals (12) and points (33), helping the Admirals reach the Central Division final of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Afanasyev is the fourth player to make his NHL debut with the Predators this season, following Juuso Parssinen (Nov. 12 vs. New York Rangers), Yaroslav Askarov (Jan. 12 at Montreal) and Luke Evangelista (Feb. 28 vs. Pittsburgh).
Tommy's Time
Novak's first-period goal was his 10th of the season and his fourth on the power play. He now has 24 points (10g-14a) in 32 games with Nashville since being recalled from Milwaukee (AHL) on Dec. 19.
Novak became the seventh player to score double-digit goals with the Predators this season, along with Filip Forsberg (19), Matt Duchene (19), Nino Niederreiter (18), Roman Josi (17), Ryan Johansen (12) and Colton Sissons (10).
Dutchy vs. LA
Duchene, who scored the shootout goal, owns 25 points (10g-15a) in 31 career games vs. the Kings. He also scored twice in Nashville's win vs. Los Angeles on Jan. 21.

THEY SAID IT

Afanasyev on his NHL debut:
"It was definitely always the goal, but when I got that call it didn't feel real. And thanks to all the coaching staff and all the guys for support, it was awesome. Then getting the win feels good too."
Afanasyev on first game advice from his teammates:
"[They told me] don't worry about mistakes and stuff, just play your game. And I think that's what I did today, and that's what we did. And that's why we had success."
Novak on scoring four seconds into the power play:
"It was a good draw win and then it kind of felt like my only option was to try throwing it at the net. And it was a good screen by [Glass]. Luckily it went in."
Hynes on Nashville's effort against Los Angeles:
"It's what the team has been since this group has come together. It's been the norm more often than not, and I thought tonight we tightened some things up defensively that we didn't have in Arizona. But I thought our competitive level and our fight throughout the game was at the level it needed to be to give ourselves a chance to win."
Hynes on Afanasyev's NHL debut:
"I was really happy for Egor. It's such a great thing for a player to get his first NHL game and I thought he came in and brought what he brings. He's a big, strong skater. And I thought that was evident tonight. I thought when he was called upon to defend, his structure was good and offensively he had a couple good chances. I liked that line in general tonight and Egor was a big part of that."

UP NEXT

The Predators will close out their six-game road trip with a visit to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. The puck drops at 8:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio.