Pearson Scores In OT To Lift Kings Past Predators
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tanner Pearson scored 1:18 into overtime, and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 Saturday night to wrap up their seven-game road trip with a victory.
Jake Muzzin also scored for the Kings, and goalie Jonathan Quick made 33 saves. The Kings finished this road trip at 3-3-1 after going 0-2-1 in their previous three games.
Ryan Ellis scored a power-play goal for Nashville, though the Predators went 1 of 6 with the man advantage. Nashville also fell to 1-10 during overtime this season. Pekka Rinne made 28 saves.
This was the eighth straight game between these teams decided by one goal, and Pearson came through with his eighth this season for the winner. Los Angeles has taken the first two games of the three-game season series.
The Kings played without Anze Kopitar, who missed his first game since leaving Thursday night's 2-1 overtime loss at St. Louis with a lower-body injury.
That left Los Angeles without Kopitar and forward Marian Gaborik, who missed his fourth game with an injury.
The Predators had gotten points in their previous four games, but they wrapped up a three-game home stand losing twice in overtime.
Nashville outshot the Kings 12-4 in the first period, but Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead when Muzzin scored on a snap shot through traffic at 15:57. The Predators got their third man advantage of the period when the Kingshad too many men on the ice.
Quick made a great diving save and got his left pad on another shot, but Ellis got his seventh off a tap-in with 26.6 seconds left tying it up at 1-1.
The Kings got their first power play at 15:27 of the second when Anthony Bitetto was called for roughing in retaliation for Kings forward Michael Mersch, called up from the AHL earlier Saturday, checked Predators defenseman Barret Jackman into the end boards.
Jackman, whose left arm went into the boards first, was on the ice in apparent pain for a few minutes before skating off and heading to the locker room.
Predators forward Craig Smith had a couple of great chances at the net in the third but couldn't convert. Rinne smothered a shot from Kings center Jeff Carter at 13:00 of the third after a Predators' turnover near the blue line.
Notes: Kings defenseman Drew Doughty played 32 minutes, 9 seconds after setting a career high with 35:16 on Thursday night. ... The Predators are 22-16-7 when outshooting their opponent. ... Nashville has played in 30 one-goal games (12-7-11). ... The Kings also scratched forward Jordan Nolan.
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