The Kings continued their roadtrip against one of the worst teams in the league, the Predators. On paper, this seemed like a tune-up game for the Kings to prepare for a tough matchup against the Capitals.
However, this game was far from an easy time for Los Angeles. The Kings came out flat on both sides of the ice and would struggle both offensively and defensively.
Heading into this matchup, Nashville ranked dead last in shooting percentage and goals per game. Despite this, the Predators were offensively on pace with the Kings in this game.
Through the first two periods, the Kings were scoreless while the Predators scored twice. Both the Predators and Kings both accumulated 24 shots at the end of regulation.
At the end of regulation, the Kings had the same number of shots as the worst offensive team in the NHL. In overtime, the Kings did not have a shot on goal, while the Predators scored on their second shot attempt.
Defensively, the Kings were just as uninspiring as they were on offense. Los Angeles didn’t bring the physicality and the goaltending was mediocre.
Nashville had the more effective defense with the hits they generated. The Predators had 24 hits compared to the 12 hits from the Kings.
Darcy Keumper followed the Flyers game with his second straight performance recording a .885 save percentage. With just a little over a minute into the overtime, Kuemper allowed Nick Blankenburg to hit the game-winning goal for the Predators.
Despite the lackluster performance the Kings had, Los Angles managed to battle back in the third period. Trailing by two goals with less than 11 minutes left in the game, the Kings found some offense.
Quinton Johnson and Alex Laffiere delivered two goals to force overtime. Although the Predators would eventually win, it is still worth noting the Kings made something out of nothing.
An underwhelming performance like what the Kings displayed had would normally result in a blowout loss. However, Los Angeles still squeaked out a point, which was enough to keep the lead over the Oilers for second place in the Pacific.
