The Nashville Predators will conclude their trip through California this evening when they take on the Los Angeles Kings with a 7 p.m. CT puck drop at Crypto.com Arena. Saturday’s meeting is the third and final meeting of the season between the two clubs; the Preds and Kings have split the series with a pair of games in Nashville thus far.
After a 3-2 victory in San Jose on Tuesday, the Preds saw their win streak conclude at four games with a 2-1 loss in Anaheim last night. The Predators outshot the Ducks by a 2-to-1 margin, and they’ll look to build upon the good from Friday’s outing tonight as they finish up a back-to-back set in Southern California.
“I really liked our effort,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought we did enough good things to win the game, pucks didn’t go in… “I’d like to see the same effort [in Los Angeles]. I thought we managed the game really well.”
Predators forward Michael Bunting was activated from Injured Reserve and made his Nashville debut on Friday night in Anaheim after being acquired last week from Pittsburgh. The winger recorded one shot in over 15 minutes of ice time, including some opportunity on the power play. Former Kings defenseman Andreas Englund was Nashville’s lone healthy scratch on Friday.
The Good Guys:
Jakub Vrana scored his first goal as a member of the Preds in Friday’s contest, and Juuse Saros took the loss in net. Filip Forsberg continues to lead the Preds with 25 goals and 59 points, followed by Jonathan Marchessault (19g-29a) with 48 points. Steven Stamkos has 22 goals and 42 points on the season; Ryan O’Reilly has 16 goals and 42 points. Saros is now 16-26-6 in net; Justus Annunen is 14-9-0.
The Opposition:
The Kings have won four in a row, including a 3-0 victory over Washington on Thursday. Los Angeles has not lost in regulation at home since Jan. 20. Adrian Kempe (27g-26a) and Anze Kopitar (16g-37a) are tied for the team lead with 53 points apiece, followed by former Preds forward Kevin Fiala with 25 goals and 44 points. Former Preds winger Tanner Jeannot has five goals and 80 penalty minutes in 61 games. Darcy Kuemper is 21-8-7 in net; former Preds goaltender David Rittich is 13-12-2.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for this evening’s game begins at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and analyst Chris Mason will have the call on the television side.
Voice of the Preds Pete Weber and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (El partido también se transmite en español por El Jefe en 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM y 810 AM.)
