LOS ANGELES — With just six games remaining in the regular season, every point matters for the Kings. And on Monday, the implications were escalated further by facing the Nashville Predators, who were tied with the Kings for the last playoff spot heading into Monday night’s affair at Crypto.com Arena.
The first two matches between the two clubs summarize the Kings' season, a pair of shootout losses for Los Angeles. It wasn’t hard to predict that Monday’s game would go to overtime.
As fate would have it, the Kings went to overtime for an NHL-record 32nd time this season, but managed to pull away with the desperately needed second point in a 3-2 shootout win over the Predators.
“We have (Anze Kopitar) and (Drew Doughty), I don't think you can ask for better leaders around the league, and just lean on those guys,” forward Jared Wright said. “It just felt like even when the game was tied into high-pressure moments, we felt we were pretty calm there, and we really truly believed that we were going to win that game.”
Goaltender Anton Forsberg stayed hot as he stopped 29 of 31 shots faced, and he blanked the Predators in the shootout. Forsberg is sporting a .939 save percentage in his last four outings, and given goaltender Darcy Kuemper’s recent struggles, interim head coach D.J. Smith said after the game that the net is now a game-by-game decision at this point.
“I think we're gonna need both of them down the stretch,” Smith said. “I think the display by Forsberg tonight, obviously, is exactly what we needed. But let's not forget that Kuempers’ is a big part of this team too and we're gonna need him.”
Kuemper has made 49 starts this season compared to Forsberg’s 27. On the season, Kuemper has a .892 save percentage and a 2.76 goals against average, while Forsberg has a .906 save percentage and a 2.71 goals against average.
“Obviously, both me and Darcy want to play as much as possible,” Forsberg said. “We're there to support each other as a part of a team, and when the other one plays, the other guy works hard, works on his game, and we take it day by day.”
The bottom six was also massive for the Kings tonight. They scored both goals and accounted for 13 of the Kings’ 28 shots on goal on the night.
“They just put it in and go get you, and then they bang it around, and they make it heavy and hard on you, and they put miles on their (defense),” Smith said. “And that's what they have to do. You'd like to get ten minutes out of that line. We got eight and change out of them tonight. But when they're like that, and they're coming at you, and they're hitting you, and they're physical, it takes a piece out of the other team's players. They're a big part of this team.”
The third line of Joel Armia, Scott Laughton and Wright were the only Kings to even register points.
Armia got the scoring started just over five minutes into the game when goaltender Juuse Sarros poke-checked a loose puck right to Armia, whose wrist shot beat Sarros above his shoulder.
In the second period, Wright used his speed to drive along the boards and down to the goal line on the right side, drawing the defenseman towards him to set up a pass to Laughton on the doorstep. Laughton scooped the puck up between the arm and the body of Sarros for the goal.
“We were just hunting the puck on the forecheck,” Wright said. “Whenever we can get the puck behind their (defense) and make them turn, I think we're all really good skaters on our bottom six, and I think we also hit really hard, and we can really make it hard on defensive corps and wear them down, and I think we were able to do that tonight.”
Forsberg shut down the Predators in the shootout, and Adrian Kempe was the lone King to convert on his shootout attempt.
With this win, the Kings now hold a one-point lead over the cut line for the last playoff spot with a 32-26-19 record and 83 points. The Predators are a point behind, with the San Jose Sharks two points behind and the Winnipeg Jets three points behind.
The Kings have five games remaining and are looking to keep their hot streak alive, as they’ve gone 4-1-1 in their last six games to reappear in the playoff picture.
“Right now, the guys are pushing for each other,” Smith said. “Even the shot blocks, the defense, the way they played in front of our net. We're giving everything we got, and it won't be for lack of effort. So it's going to come down to someone's going to have to make a big play at the right time, and right now, we're finding that way, but there's a lot of track left here.”