LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luke Evangelista scored the only purpose of the shootout in the eighth spherical, and the Nashville Predators tightened the Western Conference playoff race with a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday evening.
Nashville, Los Angeles and San Jose are now even with 79 factors apiece for the second wild-card playoff spot in the West, but the Sharks — who beat Toronto 4-1 earlier Thursday — have a sport in hand.
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Steven Stamkos scored his thirty seventh purpose and Jonathan Marchessault ended his 14-game purpose drought for the Preds, who snapped their three-game skid despite blowing a three-goal lead. Filip Forsberg and Zachary L’Heureux also scored.
Juuse Saros stopped 29 pictures before turning in a excellent eight-round shootout for Nashville.
The first 15 skaters in the shootout all failed to rating before Evangelista ended it with a deke and a backhand for his first shootout purpose of the season.
Adrian Kempe scored two targets and Joel Armia tied it halfway through the third period for the Kings, who have lost six of eight with their season in the stability.
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Scott Laughton also scored, and Darcy Kuemper rebounded from a tough starting to make 31 saves before a robust shootout.
Before the sport, the Kings honored retiring captain Anze Kopitar with a ceremony recognizing his 20-year profession. The Slovenian heart set the group’s profession scoring report last month.
Forsberg then scored his thirty fifth purpose for Nashville in the opening minute on a stoppable shot, and L’Heureux scored moments later when Kuemper was caught out of his crease.
Kuemper even gave a penalty shot to Nashville late in the first by throwing his stick at the puck, but Ryan O’Reilly could not convert. Marchessault got his twelfth purpose — his first in precisely a month — early in the second.
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Kempe finally got the Kings going when Artemi Panarin’s 51st help deflected in off his skate, but Stamkos scored just over two minutes later. After Kempe scored again to secure the fourth 30-goal season of his profession, Laughton scored moments later on a rebound.
Armia finally tied it when he drove the internet and tapped in Jared Wright’s rebound for his eleventh purpose.
Up next
Predators: At San Jose on Saturday evening.
Kings: Host Toronto on Saturday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
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