The Kings defeated the Nashville Predators 4-2 on Wednesday night, ending a four-game losing streak. It was the last game for both clubs before the NHL All-Star break, and Alex Turcotte scored and assisted on his first NHL goal.
Turcotte, the fifth overall pick in 2019, was playing in his 14th NHL game of the season. He made it 2-0 in the second period and assisted Trevor Lewis’ goal with 6:39 remaining to help Los Angeles win for just the third time in 17 games.
After appearing in 17 games for Nashville during the 2021–22 campaign, Dave Rittich improved to 5-1-3 this season with 38 saves.
In addition, Kevin Fiala added an empty-net goal, and Carl Grundstrom also scored.
At 5:15 of the third, Filip Forsberg attempted to spur Nashville with his 24th goal of the year. With 3:24 remaining, Philip Tomasino scored his sixth goal, bringing the Predators to 3-2. Against the Kings, Nashville ended a six-game home point run.
The Predators won the first game of the series in Los Angeles on January 18, suggesting that Nashville wasn’t a team the Kings should be beating. With just three regulation losses in the previous 27 games, Nashville had won 12 of the previous 15 between the two clubs, posting a 17-3-7 record.
With 54 points, the Kings were tied for the first wild-card berth in the Western Conference with St. Louis and Nashville. Nashville has dropped its last three games (0-2-1).
At 8:51 in the first period, Grunderson gave the Kings a lead with his eighth goal—a wrister that went over Juuse Saros’ glove and into the far corner.
The Kings were ahead 2-0 at 5:36 when Turcotte scored on a wrister after skating around the left circle and sending the puck over Saros’ glove. Trevor Lewis swiftly broke from the festivities to retrieve the puck for Turcotte.
In his 800th NHL game, Tyson Barrie scored his second goal of the year, giving the Predators the impression that they had responded fast. However, the Kings successfully challenged for goalkeeper interference, removing the goal from the scoreboard.