GDT: Game 72: Los Angeles Kings at Nashville Predators | Monday, Mar 21 2016 - 5:00PM PT

[KingsKnight]

LOS ANGELES KINGS @ NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Monday, Mar 21 2016 - 5:00PM PT
Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, TN
TV: FS-W, SNE, SNP | Radio: AM 790 KABC

|

LOS ANGELES|

NASHVILLE

(44-22-5 93pts)|

(36-23-13 85pts)
​

|

Lucic - Kopitar - Toffoli |

Jarnkrok - Johansen - Neal

Clifford - Carter - Brown |

Forsberg - Ribeiro - Smith

Pearson - Lecavalier - Lewis |

Salomaki - Fisher - Arvidsson

King - Shore - Andreoff |

Wilson - Sissons - Watson
​

|

Scuderi - Doughty |

Josi - Weber

Muzzin - Martinez |

Ekholm - Ellis

McNabb - Schenn |

Bitetto - Jackman
​

|

Quick / Enroth |

Rinne / Hutton​

INJURIES
Versteeg is day-to-day and may return to play during this trip.
Greene - LTIR - Has been skating before/after practices in El Segundo.
Gaborik - LTIR - Lombardi has indicated that he could start skating soon.
Neither Greene nor Gaborik are expected to return before the post season.
Nolan is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery for a herniated disc.

NEWS | NOTES

Kings are the second team and first from the West to clinch a playoff berth.

From Rosen: Kings finished 20-9-3 against the Eastern Conference (10-4-2 vs Atlantic) (10-5-1 vs Metro)

This is the fifth game of 6 in 9 nights including 2 back-to-back games on the road.

3/14 LAK 5 at CHI 0 (#3 West)
3/15 LAK 5 at DAL 2 (#1 West)
3/17 NYR 3 at LAK 4 (#2 East)
3/19 BOS 1 at LAK 2 (#4 East)
3/21 LAK at NSH (#7 West)
3/22 LAK at MIN (#9 West)

MATCHUP
This is the third and last regular season meeting between the clubs:

10/31 NSH 3 at LAK 4 OT
2/20 LAK 2 at NSH 1 OT
3/21 LAK at NSH

|GP|Record|Pts|ROW|Home|Away|Last 10|Streak
LAK|71|44-22-5|93|42|23-11-2|21-11-3|7-2-1|Won 4
NSH|72|36-23-13|85|33|18-10-6|18-13-7|6-2-2|Lost 1

|G/GP|GA/GP|PP%|PK%|S/GP|SA/GP|FOW%
LAK|2.73|2.23|21.1|81.5|32.0|27.7|50.4
NSH|2.69|2.56|19.6|80.6|30.4|27.3|49.3

STANDINGS
WESTERN CONFERENCE

# | [pre] Central [/pre] | GP |

[pre] W-L-OT [/pre]|PTS|ROW

1|[pre] Dallas[/pre]|

73|

43-21-9|

95|

41

2|[pre] St. Louis[/pre]|

73|

42-22-9|

93|

37

3|[pre] Chicago[/pre]|

73|

42-24-7|

91|

41​

# | [pre] Pacific [/pre] | GP |

[pre] W-L-OT [/pre]|PTS|ROW

1|[pre] x Los Angeles[/pre]|

71|

44-22-5|

93|

42

2|[pre] Anaheim[/pre]|

71|

40-22-9|

89|

37

3|[pre] San Jose[/pre]|

72|

41-25-6|

88|

38​

# | [pre] Wild Card [/pre] | GP |

[pre] W-L-OT [/pre]|PTS|ROW

1|[pre] Nashville[/pre]|

72|

36-23-13|

85|

33

2|[pre] Colorado[/pre]|

73|

38-31-4|

80|

34

-|[pre] Minnesota[/pre]|

73|

34-28-11|

79|

31​

SEASON SCHEDULE | RESULTS

Disclaimer: “GDT may not be 100% accurate. I got the line combos from your mom. I used to have Center Ice, Gamecenter Live, and an undercover concession worker in each arena, but this **** costs money. I will admit that my pet otter is using all up that money on his worsening opium problem. I try to not be an enabler, but I haven't had a sea urchin problem in months. Then I thought, why should I pay all this money and have a sea urchin problem to appease fans of random teams that I don't even care about anyway? Unless you are willing to take a bunch of sea urchins off of my hands, don't ***** if I get the lines wrong.” - BF​

Click to read more...

 

[tsanuri]

This is one of our games in hand vs Dallas.
Need a win to move officially into first in the conference.
But I expect that the combo of last weeks and then this weeks schedule will at some point start to catch up with us.
2 weeks in a row of 4-6 and having to fly from Pac to Central and back in both weeks. That's just brutal.

 

[Nefarious]

Now would be a great time to slay Nashville.

 

[Little Psycho]

Horrible scheduling by the nhl this season. Hoping to at least get a point from this.

 

[johnjm22]

3-1 Preds.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

This is one of our games in hand vs Dallas.
Need a win to move officially into first in the conference.
But I expect that the combo of last weeks and then this weeks schedule will at some point start to catch up with us.
2 weeks in a row of 4-6 and having to fly from Pac to Central and back in both weeks. That's just brutal.

Exactly my thought. I expect the next couple of games to look like the end of that road trip earlier this season, just no gas.

Sounds like no Versteeg per Rosen, not skating today

 

[rajuabju]

Horrible scheduling by the nhl this season. Hoping to at least get a point from this.

Yes, but since we're secretly in cahoots with Bettman, he had to do something to save face and make it look like the league is being tough on us.

I'm hoping we see Doughty, King and Carter with goals. I feel like they are all due.

 

[Winger23]

While winning the conference would be nice, I hope sutter starts giving the top guys 3 to 5 minutes less per game to keep them fresh for when the real season starts

 

[HansH]

Potential first-round playoff matchup preview -- so even if just for mental reasons, I think a Kings win tonight would be very effective in setting the table for that later series. And hey, a win tonight actually makes it LESS likely they'd have to face them again in the post-season, lining things up for the Minnesota/Colorado draw instead. The sky won't fall if they don't win, but I gotta say, it would sure look better to stride into the playoffs instead of stumble into them.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

While winning the conference would be nice, I hope sutter starts giving the top guys 3 to 5 minutes less per game to keep them fresh for when the real season starts

Drew's already been getting about 5 less minutes a game. Kopi on the other hand...

 

[mrkolice]

kings & predators could meet in the 1st round of po. probably it doesn't mean anything, as a lot can change until then in wild card standings.

two quotes via http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Paul-McCann/Game-Night---Potential-Playoff-Preview/24/75703

- The Preds are undefeated in regulation against the Kings for the last eight games (5-0-3.)
- Pekka Rinne is 9-1-2 in his last 12 starts posting a .937 save percentage.

and i have a nasty feeling about this one

 

[Reclamation Project]

This team this season is George Costanza when he did the opposite. They'll win tonight.

I expect expect Kneeal to be up to his usual ******** shenanigans.

 

[ru4reals]

kings & predators could meet in the 1st round of po. probably it doesn't mean anything, as a lot can change until then in wild card standings.

two quotes via http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Paul-McCann/Game-Night---Potential-Playoff-Preview/24/75703

- The Preds are undefeated in regulation against the Kings for the last eight games (5-0-3.)
- Pekka Rinne is 9-1-2 in his last 12 starts posting a .937 save percentage.

and i have a nasty feeling about this one

If we play the Preds in the playoffs might not be a good matchup for us. Not expecting much tonight like everyone is saying.

 

[mrkolice]

Potential first-round playoff matchup preview -- so even if just for mental reasons, I think a Kings win tonight would be very effective in setting the table for that later series. And hey, a win tonight actually makes it LESS likely they'd have to face them again in the post-season, lining things up for the Minnesota/Colorado draw instead. The sky won't fall if they don't win, but I gotta say, it would sure look better to stride into the playoffs instead of stumble into them.

this is a very good reason for lak to show a good fight tonight. i hope the guys prefer minnesota or colorado over nashville.

@ru4reals: i agree.

 

[Little Psycho]

Drew's already been getting about 5 less minutes a game. Kopi on the other hand...

Sutter really needs to cut Kopi's minutes.

 

[Cashville]

I'm actually OK with an OT loss tonight; hoping you can displace DAL atop the West and munch on COL/MIN in the first round instead of us.

 

[mrkolice]

in the last game against nsh (feb20) lak played without kopi, but still won in ot.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

This team this season is George Costanza when he did the opposite. They'll win tonight.

I expect expect Kneeal to be up to his usual ******** shenanigans.

Yep, not gonna lie, full on terrified of Neal trying to hurt someone tonight. The only question is what kind of play it will be.

I'm gonna give it a 70% chance of hit from behind because he's a coward like that
20% chance of knee
10% chance of elbow-high hit

Also will put the over-under at two Ribeiro dives + slashes

I seriously like the rest of the preds but these two ****ing clown cowards wreck it for me.

 

[TopT]

Expecting Kopi beast to show up again after he took a break in Bruins game.

 

[Reclamation Project]

 

[mrkolice]

mhm, nashville fans use the word "contenders" to describe their team. is there an empty slot in your superstition-o-meter, rj? this one could fit in.

 

[KopitarFAN]

Sutter really needs to cut Kopi's minutes.

Last 5 games have been better, all under the season average (20:49), about 19:40 average.

 

[mrkolice]

Last 5 games have been better, all under the season average (20:49), about 19:40 average.

true, kopi's toi is fine, i think he's performing best with cca 20:00, but he starts suffering with +23, dd with somewhere around 25-30, depends on the game really.

kopi said in a recent interview for slovenian media that he wants to play as much as possible. we saw him gassed often this season in ot, but still being able to score. i guess he was talking, with my interpretation: "playoofs are coming and i must be in the best possible shape. this is just a good training."

 

[Reclamation Project]

1 or 2 less shifts per game.

 

[mrkolice]

kopi's avg shift must be 40-45s. i don't have the data, just guessing.