Nashville Predators at Los Angeles Kings
· National Hockey League
Luke Evangelista ends shootout in 8th round, Predators tighten playoff race with 5-4 win over Kings
Nashville, Los Angeles and San Jose are now even with 79 points apiece for the second wild-card playoff spot in the West, but the Sharks — who beat Toronto 4-1 earlier Thursday — have a game in hand.
Steven Stamkos scored his 37th goal and Jonathan Marchessault ended his 14-game goal drought for the Preds, who snapped their three-game skid despite blowing a three-goal lead. Filip Forsberg and Zachary L’Heureux also scored.
Juuse Saros stopped 29 shots before turning in a perfect eight-round shootout for Nashville.
The first 15 skaters in the shootout all failed to score before Evangelista ended it with a deke and a backhand for his first shootout goal of the season.
Adrian Kempe scored two goals and Joel Armia tied it midway through the third period for the Kings, who have lost six of eight with their season in the balance.
Scott Laughton also scored, and Darcy Kuemper rebounded from a rough beginning to make 31 saves before a strong shootout.
Before the game, the Kings honored retiring captain Anze Kopitar with a ceremony recognizing his 20-year career. The Slovenian center set the team's career scoring record last month.
Forsberg then scored his 35th goal for Nashville in the opening minute on a stoppable shot, and L’Heureux scored moments later when Kuemper was caught out of his crease.
Kuemper even gave a penalty shot to Nashville late in the first by throwing his stick at the puck, but Ryan O'Reilly couldn't convert. Marchessault got his 12th goal — his first in exactly a month — early in the second.
Kempe finally got the Kings going when Artemi Panarin's 51st assist deflected in off his skate, but Stamkos scored just over two minutes later. After Kempe scored again to secure the fourth 30-goal season of his career, Laughton scored moments later on a rebound.
Armia finally tied it when he drove the net and tapped in Jared Wright's rebound for his 11th goal.
Kings: Host Toronto on Saturday.
Regular Season SeriesNSH leads series 2-0
Scoring Summary
 |
Goal | 1st Period 0:52 | Filip Forsberg Goal (35) Wrist Shot, assists: Jonathan Marchessault (18), Erik Haula (22) |
|
Goal | 1st Period 3:47 | Zachary L'Heureux Goal (3) Backhand, assists: Brady Skjei (22) |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 2:02 | Jonathan Marchessault Goal (12) Wrist Shot, assists: Matthew Wood (12), Justin Barron (9) |
 |
Goal | 2nd Period 6:09 | Adrian Kempe Goal (29) Deflected, assists: Artemi Panarin (51) |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 8:19 | Steven Stamkos Goal (37) Wrist Shot, assists: Ryan O'Reilly (43), Roman Josi (37) |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 13:29 | Adrian Kempe Goal (30) Snap Shot, assists: Joel Edmundson (18), Anze Kopitar (24) |
|
Goal | 2nd Period 15:45 | Scott Laughton Goal (12) Wrist Shot, assists: Joel Armia (12), Mikey Anderson (14) |
|
Goal | 3rd Period 9:57 | Joel Armia Goal (11) Wrist Shot, assists: Jared Wright (2), Brian Dumoulin (15) |
|
Goal | 5 0:00 | Luke Evangelista Goal Backhand |
Statistics
 NSH |
 LA |
|
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Blocked Shots | 15 |
| 19 | Hits | 32 |
| 7 | Takeaways | 1 |
| 34 | Shots | 33 |
| 0 | Power Play Goals | 0 |
| 3 | Power Play Opportunities | 3 |
| 0.0 | Power Play Percentage | 0.0 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 32 | Faceoffs Won | 41 |
| 43.8 | Faceoff Win Percent | 56.2 |
| 12 | Giveaways | 20 |
| 3 | Total Penalties | 3 |
| 6 | Penalty Minutes | 6 |
Los Angeles Kings Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Fiala, LW | Injured Reserve | Mar 6 |
Nashville Predators Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|
Game Information
crypto.com Arena
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Attendance: 18,145 | Capacity:
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Attendance: 18,145 | Capacity:
