Kings at Predators
THE STORY: The postseason window is slowly closing for the Kings,
who sit ninth in the Western Conference after picking up wins in three
of their last four games. The loss came at Nashville 2-1 on Feb. 27. The
Predators have also won three of their last four, but have had their
hands full with Los Angeles. Nashville, which hosts Los Angeles again on
Tuesday, has only two wins in its last seven meetings with the Kings.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS West (Kings), FS Tennessee (Predators)
ABOUT THE KINGS (30-23-12): Four is the magic number for the Kings,
who have netted four goals in each of their past three wins. That kind
of production is huge for Los Angeles, which averages only 2.1 goals per
game – 29th in the NHL. The newest member of the Kings forward corps
made a splash in Saturday’s 4-2 victory over Anaheim. Jeff Carter netted
two goals, teaming up with new linemate and former Philadelphia
teammate Mike Richards on both.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (38-20-7):
Nashville is also getting instant production from its mid-season
acquisitions. Winger Andrei Kostitsyn, acquired from Montreal, recorded a
goal and an assist in a 3-1 victory over Florida on Saturday. Also
getting in on the action were center Paul Gaustad and defenseman Hal
Gill, who assisted on Kostitsyn’s first-period marker. The Predators'
offense is turning up the intensity heading into the home stretch of the
schedule, netting three or more goals in six of their last nine outings
– going 6-3 in that span.
OVERTIME:
1. Predators goalie Pekka Rinne picked up his 36th win of the season Saturday, tying the franchise record.
2.
Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick is 0-4-1 with a 3.00 goals against
average in five career starts versus the Predators. Nashville is the
only Western Conference team he has failed to beat.
3. Nashville is one of best home teams in the NHL, going 10-0-2 in its last 12 games at Bridgestone Arena to improve to 21-7-5.