The Los Angeles Kings have a bit of a pattern when it comes to games against the Nashville Predators.The games tend to be not only low-scoring, but rather tedious to watch, and with very little flow. The game played in downtown Los Angeles on Jan 31, 2013 was no different. Just 58 seconds into the game, the Kings lost a faceoff in their own zone. Brandon Yip (who played for the Ontario Reign last season) found the back of the net, to give Nashville a 1-0 lead. It was the Preds second shot on goal in the period. Amazingly, the visiting team would get only one more shot on goal in the period, at the 3:41 mark.
The Kings would get the game-tying goal while on the power play. Yes, the power play. With Scott Hannan already in the box for interference, Paul Gaustad went off for unsportsmanlike conduct just one minute later, setting up a 2 man advantage for the Kings. That advantage only lasted 2 seconds, before Anze Kopitar was called for tripping. That still left the Kings with a 4 on 3 power play for 58 seconds.
The Kings gained the Predators zone on the power play. The Kings set up with Mike Richards playing defense with Drew Doughty, while Jeff Carter and Dustin Brown worked down low. Richards and Doughty played catch and the blueline, while occasionally trying to sneak the puck down low to Carter who set up in the faceoff circle to the left of goalie Pekka Rinne. Doughty finally found room to rip a slapshot which went over the net, and caromed back into the slot, where an eager Dustin Brown, pounded the puck home, at 13:08.
Score tied 1-1, after one period of play.
The second period began, with Nashville not having had a shot on goal since the 3:41 mark of the first period. When the Preds finally put a shot on Jonathan Quick, at 2:13 of the period, the team had gone 18:51 without a shot on goal, but the Kings could not take advantage. At the midway point of the game, Kings had outshot their opponent, 12-4.
Score still tied 1-1, after two periods.
The third period began, with the Kings holding a 15-5 advantage in shots on goal, but the score still knotted at 1-1.
Regulation time expired with the teams still tied 1-1. Nashville had been held to only 11 shots on goal. Normally that means a Kings' victory, but not tonight.
Nashville then outshot the Kings 3-2 in Overtime.
The shootout wound up going nine players deep. Jonathan Quick yielded goals to the first two skaters, David Legwand and Craig Smith, but then toughened up.
When the smoke cleared, Nashville had beaten the Kings by a score of 2-1, on a shootout goal by Sergei Kostitsyn.
This is not the most exciting game recap I've ever written. If you are wondering why, you didn't see the game.
At least they did get a point out of the whole thing.
Said Kings' Head Coach Darryl Sutter after the game, "I'd like to score more than one goal. They're strong up the middle. They've got their veterans in the back, and they have a good goalie. they don't give you much. It just comes down to we're still not getting that goal from the players we need to count on to score that goal."
That is all.
Kings were 1-5 on the power play, Predators were 0-3.
Kings next game is Saturday night in Anaheim vs the Ducks.
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Contact Charles:
Email - Charles@Officialinsidesports.com
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