Kings at Predators
There are several reasons why the Nashville Predators have emerged as one of the top teams in the Western Conference and rookie forward Filip Forsberg is near the head of the class. The 20-year-old Forsberg has posted 14 points in 10 games this month and looks to add to that when the Predators host the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. Nashville is 7-3-0 in November after Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win over Florida and the Kings are 5-2-2 over their last nine contests.
Forsberg was acquired from the Washington Capitals for aging forward Martin Erat and center Michael Latta less than a year after he went 11th overall in the 2012 draft. The Swede boasts nine goals, 13 assists and an NHL-leading plus-20 rating as he prepares for a battle between two of the league’s top five teams in scoring defense. The Kings should be extra focused on defense after losing 5-4 at Dallas on Saturday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, SNET, FSN West (Los Angeles), FSN Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE KINGS (11-6-4): Los Angeles has suffered a bit defensively of late with top-six blue-liners Slava Voynov (suspension) and Alec Martinez (finger surgery) out of the lineup, giving up 18 goals in the last six games. Goalie Jonathan Quick has solid numbers overall with a .932 save percentage despite the Kings facing 5.6 more shots per game than last season. Tyler Toffoli leads the team in scoring (18 points) and fellow 22-year-old Tanner Pearson paces Los Angeles in goals with nine.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (13-5-2): Pekka Rinne continues to regain his form after two seasons plagued with injury and illness, going 7-1-0 in November while surrendering 15 goals combined. Center Mike Ribeiro is also putting together a solid comeback season, posting seven points in the last seven games with a plus-7 rating during that span. Captain Shea Weber boasts five points in the last four games while fellow blue-liner Roman Josi is among the league leaders with 51 blocked shots.
OVERTIME
1. The Predators are the least penalized team in the league at just over seven minutes per game and the Kings are near the bottom while averaging 13.
2. Los Angeles has recorded seven power-play goals in 17 opportunities over the last four games.
3. Nashville is one of only two teams in the league with one or fewer regulation losses at home (7-1-1) – joining Minnesota (7-1-0).