Predators 4, Kings 3
David Legwand scored his second goal with 3:56 to play as visiting Nashville thwarted a comeback by Los Angeles.
Legwand and captain Shea Weber scored first-period power-play goals, Eric Nystrom also tallied and Patric Hornqvist collected three assists as the Predators halted a two-game losing streak on the second stop of a seven-game road trip. Carter Hutton made 35 saves to help Nashville avenge a 2-1 home shootout loss to the Kings on Oct. 17.
Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist while captain Dustin Brown and Mike Richards scored 1:37 apart midway through the third period as the Kings erased a two-goal deficit. Jonathan Quick turned aside only 13 shots in falling to 2-6-2 lifetime against the Predators.
Legwand beat a screened Quick with a wrist shot at 11:15 of the first before Weber doubled the advantage, steering a pass by Hornqvist into an open net with 54 seconds left in the period. Kopitar answered 17 seconds later, intercepting a weak clearing attempt by rookie defenseman Seth Jones and sliding a cross-ice pass to Jake Muzzin, whose shot was stopped by Hutton before Kopitar fluttered home the rebound.
Nystrom restored the two-goal lead at 8:41 of the second period, moving into the slot and snapping a pass from Hornqvist past Quick for a 3-1 lead entering the third. The Kings stormed back to tie it when Brown scored on a sharp-angle shot from along the left-wing boards at 9:41 and Richards stuffed in the rebound of Tyler Toffoli's shot with the man advantage 97 seconds later.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Hornqvist tied a career high with his three assists, while Legwand has three goals and four assists in his last four games. ... Predators C Mike Fisher suffered a lower-body injury in the second period and did not return. Kings C Jarret Stoll played only two shifts in the second session before leaving the bench to be evaluated. ... The Kings placed F Jeff Carter on injured reserve due to a lower-body injury sustained in Wednesday's game versus San Jose and recalled Fs Toffoli and Linden Vey.