Los Angeles Kings Host Nashville Predators

Saturday afternoon the Los Angeles Kings will host the Nashville Predators.  Puck-drop is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PST.

Today’s game against Nashville is the first of a lengthy homestand for the Kings.  L.A. will play their next seven games at home.

Both teams come into the game sitting in second place of their respective conferences.

L.A. has a record of 19-8-4 for 46 points.  The Kings are one of the best teams at home in the NHL with a record of 14-4-2.

Nashville has a record of 24-9-3 for 51 points.  Despite a season of winning the Predators are 10-7-2 on the road.

In the first meeting, on November 25, 2014, between Nashville and Los Angeles this season, the Predators got the extra point winning 4-3 in a shootout.

Kings expected lineup:

Forwards: 

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Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams

Tanner Pearson – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli

Dustin Browns – Jarret Stoll – Trevor Lewis

Kyle Clifford – Mike Richards – Dwight King

Defensemen: 

Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty

Alec Martinez – Matt Greene

Jeff Schultz – Jamie McBain

Goaltenders: 

Jonathan Quick

Martin Jones

Quick is expected to start again, against the top notched offense of the Nashville Predators.

Head coach Darryl Sutter has been mixing and matching lines to get the team cohesion going.

One result of that mixing has put That 70’s Line back together for tonight’s matchup.  Pearson, Carter, and Toffoli have cooled off from a red hot start.  Turning over a new leaf for the year of 2015 might bring the scoring streaks rushing back.

Mike Richards got his first point in 9 games in the Kings last game against the Vancouver Canucks.  Richards picked up an assist on Dwight King’s goal.  Hopefully the Kings fourth line can continue to contribute by putting the puck in the net.

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Nashville players to keep an eye on:

Filip Forsberg is one of the best young rookies in the NHL.  Forsberg leads the Predators in goals and points, with 14 goals and 35 points in 36 games.  Forsberg will be dangerous on the ice this afternoon, clearly he’s no stranger to the stat-sheet.

Pekka Rinne’s return after missing last season with an injury has made a huge difference in the Predators success.  Rinne has been mentioned as not only a Veznia Trophy candidate, but a potential Hart Trophy candidate as well.

Rinne’s posted an impressive 1.88 goals against average and a .934 save percentage.

Today’s a Saturday afternoon matchup of two Western Conference superpowers.  It’s going to be a good one.

The Kings should hold down home-ice at Staples Center.  RinkRoyalty predicts a 3-1 Kings victory in this one.

Go Kings Go!