LOS ANGELES — Two points are two points.
Usually, good teams have little trouble taking down one of the league’s worst teams. Especially when they’re playing a back-to-back and starting their backup goaltender. This wasn’t the case for the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, but they have to accept the two points and move on after defeating the Nashville Predators 1-0 in overtime.
LA didn’t generate anything during the first 40 minutes. The Kings had only six total shots with little to show for on multiple power-play opportunities by the time the second intermission hit. They turned up the heat a bit in the third period but couldn’t put anything away.
Quinton Byfield continued his hot month by finally breaking the deadlock in overtime, his sixth goal in the last six games. Byfield took a feed from Adrian Kempe and scored from point-blank range. The goal secured LA’s fifth-straight win, bringing the team to 23-3-4 at home.
“[Byfield] is a good player who is getting better,” said head coach Jim Hiller postgame. “He’s been a difference-maker for us for some time.”
Darcy Kuemper clinched his second-straight shutout, his first time doing so as a King since 2018, during his first stint with the team. No other LA goalie had recorded consecutive clean sheets between then and Saturday. Kuemper made 24 saves, including timely ones to keep the Kings’ rally going.
Our forwards did a pretty good job, once we got it down low, with some puck possession, finding a way to get some pucks to the net, a little bit at least,” said defenseman Mikey Anderson. “We came in after the second, and I don’t know if we had 10 shots, but it’s just one of those days.”
The successful homestand sets LA up for road tests against the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks.
The Kings’ penalty-kill unit stopped both of Nashville’s power plays. LA has only allowed two power-play goals in March despite giving up 26 opportunities.
Talk of Troy reporter Kasey Kazliner reported from the nail-biter and broke down the Kings’ victory on Skate of Thrones, TOT’s LA Kings podcast.