Tough road ahead for the Nashville Predators as they lose to their wild card opponent, the LA Kings, in a shootout at Crypto.com Arena Monday, April 6, stretching their playoff hopes thin.
"It was another tight game. Seems like every game is like that, especially against these guys," Preds captain Roman Josi said. "I thought we played a pretty good game. I thought they were better in the first, we played a lot better in the second. Third was a good period for us. Obviously want to get two but one is better than nothing."Nashville Predators YT
Nashville [36-31-10] forced a comeback in the third period but came up short in sudden death, going 0-3. Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi scored for the Preds and Juuse Saros stopped 26 of 28 shots. It's the first time the team lost to LA [32-26-19] this season, previously winning two games 5-4 in shootouts last week and in October. The Kings take the Preds wild card spot and lead them by one point.
"It was a playoff hockey game," Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. "I thought both teams extremely hard and committed. Wasn't a lot of room out there and unfortunately, we didn't get the extra point.""Nashville Predators YT
A Predators turnover along their bench prompted Kings' forward Joel Armia to race towards the net and sniping it off his own rebound. Armia scored the goal that sent both teams to overtime in their previous matchup.
Stamkos tied things up on the power play in the middle frame in signature fashion, scoring from his office on a one-timer. The Kings broke free and scored their second with under seven minutes left in the period.
Josi evened it out in the third with a slap shot from the left circle, tipping the shot off LA goalie Anton Forsberg's pad and into the net. Erik Haula's secondary assist on the play extends his point streak to three games, his first major streak since February.
Both goaltenders, Saros and Forsberg, played exceptionally. They made gliding saves when their respective defensemen weren't in position. Forsberg outplayed Saros on the scoresheet, however, posting a .935 save-percentage compared to Saros' .929 save-percentage.
In the shootout, only Kings' forward Adrian Kempe was able to net one, handing LA its second-straight win.
The Preds will visit the Anaheim Ducks tonight before flying out to Utah to play the Mammoth Thursday. Nashville will end the season with three big matchups against the Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks and the Ducks. Securing big wins against San Jose and Anaheim could not only provide Nashville with better odds of making the postseason but also provide some energy by contending against their younger cores.
"Every game is a playoff game," Josi said. "You know [Anaheim's] fighting for its spot in the standings. We're fighting for a playoff spot. Get some rest tonight and get right back at it."Nashville Predators YT