Kings Blank Predators 4-0 in Fast-Paced Chaotic Match
- Updated: December 23, 2016
It was a chaotic, high-energy, quick-paced game – the exact sort of game that lends itself to the sporty Nashville Predators. However, in the end the score lent itself to the Los Angeles Kings, as the visiting team took the win 4-0, Thursday, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Number one star of the game goalie Peter Budaj, 14-8-3, saved 28 shots on his way to his fourth shutout. With 37 points, The Kings are in fourth place in the Pacific Division, four points behind leaders San Jose Sharks. After close play through the second period, the Kings scored three goals on six shots in the third period, including two goals in an eight second span, to pull away completely.
The scoring started in the fast-paced first period at 6:33 as Jordan Nolan, on an outnumbered attack with Nick Shore, played a give-and-go before Shore’s pass back to Nolan went off Mike Ribeiro’s stick into the net. They called that unassisted for Shore. It looked way too pretty of a play to go unassisted, but OK.
The chaos and constant action continued into the second period as the Kings crept back into the shot count, Andy Andreoff slugged it out with cheap-shot artist of the night Austin Watson, a pile up at the Predators net netted nothing, and Tanner Pearson rang a loud one off the post.
Still the red light wouldn’t go on until a odd goal came at 4:25 of the third period. On another uneventful outnumbered attack (do the Kings practice such scenarios?), Nic Dowd ultimately ended up with the puck basically alone at the left of the Predator goal. Backing up for a less sharp angle, Dowd sent a shot that sneaked under the pads of Pekke Rinne. (I think he’s still looking under his pad to see how it got passed him.) And it would only be eight seconds later before Jeff Carter took a long pass from Alec Martinez streaking in alone on the right side. And when Carter has the puck alone with speed? Forget about it. 3-0. His 17th of the season.
The final goal came at as the Kings were grinding out the play to keep the puck in the offensive zone, Dustin Brown out-muscling the puck over to Anze Kopitar who gave a no-look, backhanded pass to a wide open Devin Setoguchi, who could have blown the puck into the wide open net. It was Kopitar’s 700th point of his career.
Budaj, through the LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen, gave credit to the defense in front of him. “We blocked a lot of shots. We had a good stick so they couldn’t make any criss-cross passes. We kind of eliminated those one-timers which Nashville is known for. Guys did a great job in front of me, and thank God I was able to see the puck and make some saves,” he said.
Solid defense, matched intensity, impressive goal tending, and a victory that gives the Kings a 3-2-1 record on this nine-game road trip. The Kings next play the Dallas Stars, at 5:30 p.m., Friday, December 23 at the American Airlines Center.
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