It will be a battle between two teams working hard to be a part of the postseason conversation. What could make the difference for Nashville?
Tonight the Nashville Predators face off against the L.A. Kings in the third and final meeting between the two teams. Each team has won one of their previous two games, but with a tight race for the wildcard spots, the points tonight could become even more important.
The Kings will be without former Predator Viktor Arvidsson who was injured in Tuesday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. David Rittich got both starts against the Predators in the previous two games and may get the start yet again in net tonight after Cam Talbot started the last two Kings' games.
Nashville has been buoyed by secondary scoring in recent games as players like Luke Evangelista and Tommy Novak finally got going offensively. With the exception of a 7-0 blowout loss to the Buffalo Sabres, the Kings have been stingy when it comes to giving up goals so it will take an effort up and down the lineup to get Nashville on the scoreboard.
Tonight's game will be marked by physicality. The Kings play a hard checking style of hockey while the Predators have worked to be a hard team to play against themselves. Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon leads the league in hits by a large margin, while Cole Smith, Yakov Trenin, and Michael McCarron are not afraid to throw their weight around either.
The Predators may need to settle for those "greasy goals" that they scored previously against the Kings. Screens, deflections, and cleaning up rebounds may be more effective tonight than pretty shots from the point.
Mar 22, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) defends the goal against Nashville Predators center Colton Sissons (10) during the first period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsSpecial teams could also decide the outcome of this game. The Kings currently have the best penalty kill in the league, although it has taken a slight dip since the All-Star break. Head coach Andrew Brunette has tinkered with the Predators power play since the break, and getting a score on the man advantage could be the difference in the game.
The Predators face the Kings tonight on the road. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:30 pm CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and HULU. 102.5 The Game will have the radio call.