Tonight the Nashville Predators play their final game before the All Star break as they welcome the 22-15-10 L.A. Kings to Bridgestone Arena in a game that has a "must win" feel to it for both teams.
The Nashville Predators surprised many around the league with a hot streak in November and winning enough games to find themselves in the wild card race in the West. The LA Kings have been a bit of a surprise as well, but not in the way they would like. Predicted to battle the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers for points in the Pacific, it's been much tougher going for the Kings.
After an up and down start to the season it appeared the Kings had righted the ship that included a five game win streak in November. January has been a different story for LA. The Kings have gone 2-5-3 in their last ten games and are on a four game losing streak that has head coach Todd McLellan feeling the heat despite his players defending the job their coach is doing.
Meanwhile Nashville is dealing with troubles of their own. Secondary scoring has been hard to come by, the young players are struggling to finish on chances, and the Predators's productive top line has been contained in recent games. With both teams competing for important points to keep them in wild card contention, tonight's late January game has a distinct "early April must win" feel.
The Kings
There is no lack of talent on the Kings roster with Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, and Drew Doughty. Trevor Moore is having a career season with 21 goals and 34 points already, and 21-year-old Quinton Byfield is having little trouble finding the back of the net although he missed Sunday's game against the Blues due to illness. Cam Talbot started off hot this season, but his last five performances in goal have netted him an .836 save percentage. Former Predators back up goalie David Rittich started against the Blues in Monday's overtime loss, so it is likely to be Talbot in net tonight.
The Kings are hoping to snap a four game losing streak and kick off the All Star break with a win.
The Predators
The Predators are coming off one of their most disappointing games of the season after giving up a three goal lead in the first period to lose to the Ottawa Senators 4-3 in overtime. It was a frustrating collapse to end a three game road trip that netted Nashville just three points.
The Predators haven't taken advantage of home ice going 13-12 so far this season at Bridgestone Arena. They are also trying to finish January at .500 with a win against the Kings tonight. Defenseman Alexandre Carrier left the game Monday night with an injury in the second period and did not return. There's been no official update on his status yet, but if he is unable to play Tyson Barrie could return to the lineup. It would be Barrie's 800th career NHL game.
Predators Keys to the Game
1. Score off the rush - The Kings' goaltenders have been susceptible to giving up goals off the rush against teams that may not match their talent level. If Nashville can spring some players and keep it simple on odd man rushes, those scoring chances could make a difference in the final score.
2. Put pucks on net - The Predators, especially the younger players, have gotten into the habit of making one extra pass instead of putting shots on goal and playing for a rebound. Tonight will be as much about quantity of shots as quality. This is not a game to play for style points.
3. Good goaltending - The L.A. Kings have the fourth most shots on goal in the league this season and a 3.13 goals/game average compared to Nashville's 2.66 goals/game average. If the Kings play to their talent level, this will be a game either Juuse Saros or Kevin Lankinen will need to steal.
How to Watch/Listen
Tonight's game will be broadcast on TNT and puck drop is scheduled for a slightly earlier than normal 6:30 pm CT. 102.5 The Game will have the radio call.