Saros Makes Season-High 46 Saves, Leads Preds to Victory Over Kings

Juuse Saros made a season-high 46 saves as the Nashville Predators defeated the Los Angeles Kings by a 4-2 final on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. The result gives the Preds wins in three straight outings in 2022 with a perfect road trip thus far.
Four different Preds - Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene, Matt Luff and Yakov Trenin - all found the back of the net, but it was Saros who kept almost every Los Angeles shot out of his own cage to steal another two points for his club.

Forsberg didn't wait long to open the scoring - just 3:49 into the contest - as he wristed home a shot from the right circle on the man advantage for a 1-0 lead. Duchene then gave the visitors a two-goal lead before the opening period was out when he also converted on the power play and beat Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick at the 19:01 mark.

Then, less than three minutes into the second stanza, Luff tallied against his former team as the fourth line combined to give the Preds a 3-0 lead. The Kings got on the board midway through the period as Dustin Brown beat Saros on a breakaway, and then Martin Frk brought L.A. to within one at the midway point of the third period.
The Kings continued to press, but Saros made 20 saves in the third period alone and Trenin iced it with an empty-netter to give Nashville win No. 22 on the campaign.

Thursday Storyline:

Juuse Saros standing on his head and stopping 40-plus shots to earn two points is nothing new, but that doesn't make a performance like the one Nashville's goaltender put forth on Thursday in Los Angeles any less special.
Saros stopped 46 Kings shots, to be exact, while establishing himself yet again as what his teammates call the best goaltender in the League.
But perhaps Matt Luff - the former Kings winger who scored what proved to be the game-winner on Thursday night - said it best.
"I don't even think there is much to say," Luff pondered when asked about his goaltender's performance. "I think you can ask any guy in this room - there's no other goalie I'd rather have in my net than him. I think he makes key saves when he has to, like that penalty shot [on Adiran Kempe in the second period]. I mean, that could have been a big turning point right there and he made a huge save and just keeps us in games. I just think he's the best goalie in the League, without a doubt."
"He's so consistent," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said of Saros. "He comes up with big saves when we need them at key times. He's very consistent in the way that he plays, and that's something that's really important. If you get that type of goaltending, you do have a chance to win every night. You can't be a real successful team unless you have the type of goaltending we're getting, and he's a key guy for us. But as I said, I think that just the consistency level that he can play with has been pretty impressive."
For Saros, it was just another night at the office, smothering puck after puck and frustrating opposition shooters who can't seem to do much to solve the Finn - and he surely doesn't mind.
"I like when there's a lot of action going on," Saros said. "There's a lot of shots from the outside too, that aren't all like 'grade-A' scoring chances, but you kind of just go with the flow on those games."

The Preds have been doing just that as of late, and although the Kings outshot Nashville by a 48-20 count, the visitors still liked a lot of what they saw from their group in another physical outing.
"That's just a greasy road win," Luff said. "I mean, good teams find a way to win; I think that's what we did. Our goaltending is the best in the League, without a doubt. I think [Saros] and our back end, they're so solid and they help us out so much. It's a good Kings team over there, they put a lot of pucks on net; I think we just did a good job killing when we had to and got big saves when we needed them."
"[It was] kind of a similar game we played against Vegas [on Tuesday]," Saros said. "Obviously a really hard-fought game, a lot of heavy hits and a lot of competition. Those games are fun. They're fun to play and it obviously shows character that we were able to get two points out of this."
Strong special teams and a high compete level that allowed the Preds to hang with a Kings team that put forth their best effort as well contributed to Nashville's success, too, but the most important performer wore Gold pads and No. 74 on his back.
But, again, just another night doing what he does best.
"I'm just trying to do my thing, play the game the way I know how to play and just try to enjoy it as well and not really think too much about it," Saros said. "And just try to give the team a chance to win every night. I know every game is kind of different, so you kind of try to prepare for everything."

Highlight of the Night:

They Said It:

Matt Luff on scoring his first goal with the Preds against his former team in Los Angeles:
"I mean, a tough couple of years here, and just to get one there is huge. To be able to contribute is always nice. We got the two points, which is a big thing, and we're moving on to Arizona ready to close the trip out."

Notes:

Prior to Thursday's game, Luff was recalled from the taxi squad and forward Tommy Novak was reassigned to Milwaukee after posting one goal and seven points in his first 27 career NHL games.
Defenseman Dante Fabbro missed his third straight game due to COVID protocol; defenseman Ben Harpur and forward Philip Tomasino were scratched for Nashville on Thursday.
The Predators will conclude their three-game road trip on Saturday night when they face the Coyotes in Arizona (7 p.m. CT) before returning home to host Colorado on Tuesday.