Los Angeles Kings vs. Nashville Predators Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 21st 2024
Preview and Prediction
The Los Angeles Kings aim to maintain their winning streak as they face off against the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
The Kings enter the game with a record of 9-2-1 in their last 12 games, including a six-game winning streak from November 27th to December 10th. They have also been performing well on their current seven-game road trip, with a record of 3-1-1. Their trip will conclude on Sunday against the Washington Capitals.
In their most recent game, the Kings defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 7-3 on Thursday. They were down by a goal in the second period, but captain Anze Kopitar tied the game with only 44 seconds remaining. The team then went on to score four goals in the third period.
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Head coach Jim Hiller praised his team's performance, saying, "I thought we played our game in the third period. I'm really proud of the guys for coming out strong and playing our style of hockey."
Kopitar, who had two goals in the game against the Flyers, has been on fire lately with five points in his last three games. The 37-year-old leads the team with 37 points and is on track to surpass his career-high of 92 points from the 2017-2018 season.
Hiller also commended Kopitar's ability to lead the team and contribute offensively at his age, saying, "To be his age and to be playing against the other team's top players every night, while also making an offensive impact and leading the team, that's incredibly difficult to do."
The Kings have been dominant on both ends of the ice during their recent winning streak, outscoring their opponents 40-23. They have only allowed more than three goals once and have held their opponents to two goals or fewer in eight of their last 12 games.
On the other hand, the Predators will be looking to bounce back after a 5-4 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
Defenseman Brady Skjei praised the team's effort in the game, saying, "Our effort is never in question. We did some good things, but it's disappointing not to get the two points."
Nashville has a record of 2-1-1 in their last four games after an eight-game losing streak. They have scored at least four goals in three of those games.
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Center Steven Stamkos also noted the team's improved connection and comfort level, saying, "We're starting to get comfortable. It's nice to see some pucks go in the net finally, but we still have some areas to clean up."
Stamkos had a slow start to the season with only one goal in his first 10 games, but has since scored eight goals in 23 games. He currently shares the team lead of nine goals with Filip Forsberg and fellow free-agent acquisition Jonathan Marchessault.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Nashville Predators Recap DEC 21TH 2024
Nick Blankenburg scored at 1:03 of overtime, and the Nashville Predators recovered for a 3-2 win against the visiting Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Filip Forsberg won a puck battle and took it to the right circle before feeding the defenseman, who was at the goal line to sweep in a backhand, with goalie Darcy Kuemper at the top of the crease.
Zachary L'Heureux and Jonathan Marchessault scored, and Justus Annunen made 22 saves for the Predators, who are 3-0-2 in their past five games.
Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere scored for the Kings, who have lost two of three. Kuemper made 23 saves.
After falling behind 2-0, Byfield cut it to 2-1 at 9:24 in the third, quickly roofing a wrister short side from the inner side of the left circle.
Laferriere tied it 2-2 on a delayed penalty at 13:23 when he pushed in a loose puck in front.
It was a slow start for both teams in the first period, combining for just five shots on goal through the first eight minutes, but the Kings started to find their legs and up their game as the period progressed.
But it was the hosts who opened the scoring late in the frame, courtesy of L'Heureux.
Gustav Nyquist collected a loose puck and fed a backhand pass to L'Heureux, who tapped it in five-hole on Annunen for a 1-0 lead at 14:16.
The Predators came out pressing in the second, outshooting the Kings 9-0 holding them to just two shot attempts by the seven-minute mark. Los Angeles didn't register its first shot on goal until a minute later.
Marchessault made it 2-0 at 14:00. Roman Josi carried the puck in from the blue line to the top of the left circle, where he dragged around defenseman Kyle Burroughs and went to the front of the net before feeding a cross-crease pass to Marchessault on the back door.
The Kings pushed in the third period, but Annunen stayed sharp. He denied a Byfield backhand from in front nearly four minutes in, and less than a minute later, he stopped Anze Kopitar in tight.