The Kings extended their point streak to four games (2-0-2) on Saturday afternoon, but were unable to pick up the full two points as they fell to the Nashville Predators in overtime 3-2. It was a comeback effort for the Kings that earned themselves a point on Saturday, moving their season-long seven-game road trip record to 3-1-2 after six games.
The low scoring affair saw one goal in the first period and it came from the home team. With 5:44 to go in the period, the Kings got bogged down in their own end and were unable to gain possession of the puck. After Ryan O’Reilly’s shot was blocked, his linemates teamed up and Gus Nyquist set up Zachary H’Leureaux beautifully with a behind the back pass to the top of the crease and the rookie H’Leureaux beat Darcy Kuemper between the wickets for his fourth goal of the season. Despite trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes, the Kings held an 11-5 shot advantage going into the first intermission.
The second period produced the same amount of offense as the first period and it also came from the home team. After having a disallowed goal earlier in the period due to hooking a King to get to the puck, Jonathan Marchessault found the back of the net again and this one counted. Following a Kings turnover in the neutral zone, Predators captain Roman Josi gained possession of the puck, entered the offensive zone, walked around a Kings defender and fed Marchessault backdoor for the goal. The assist for Josi comes in his first game back after a four-game absence due to injury, while the goal for Marchessault was his team-high 10th. The Predators carried the majority of the play in period two as they outscored the Kings and outshot them 10-4.
The comeback Kings showed up in the third period and began with a beautiful shot by Quinton Byfield with 10:36 remaining in the game. Just prior to the goal, the Kings established their forecheck to gain possession of the puck in the offensive zone. Warren Foegele created the play as he worked his way up the boards on the cycle and found an open Byfield in the high slot. Byfield quickly got a shot off and shelved Predators goalie Justus Annunen for his sixth goal of the season. Four minutes later, it was Alex Laferriere who knotted the game at 2-2 with a net-front rebound goal off of a Phillip Danault point shot on a 6-on-5 sequence during a Predators delayed penalty.
Eventually the game went into overtime and like what happened in Pittsburgh earlier on tied trip, the home team scored in the second minute of the 3-on-3 session. The home team took advantage of a Vladislav Gavrikov dropped stick and forced the hand of the two Kings forward, who attempted to briefly defend three Predators. A wide open Predator in the slot caused chaos for the Kings after a shot by Filip Forsberg left a vacant puck next to the crease. It was Nick Blankenburg who was the first man to the puck, easily sliding it into the open net after Kuemper had lost his crease trying to challenge the original slot shot.
Kuemper stopped 23 of 26 shots faced. Kuemper has now helped the Kings earn at least a point in six consecutive starts, going 4-0-2. Kuemper’s record this season is 8-2-5.
