The Kings started off strong, occupying the Preds’ zone and drawing a penalty eight minutes in. Nashville killed that off, then had to kill another as Colton Sissons followed Filip Forsberg to the box a few minutes later. Sissons’s penalty was negated when Quinton Byfield high-sticked Alex Carrier during the Kings’ power play, putting the teams four-on-four. During the Preds’ abbreviated power play, Matt Roy cross-checked Cody Glass in front of the Kings’ net, giving the Preds a brief five-on-three.
David Rittich, tending goal for the Kings, had to make some great saves on Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg during the power play, but he made them. The Kings continued to pressure as the teams returned to even strength, not giving the Preds a break, and finally the buzzer sounded to mark the end of the first.
Alex Laferriere rang iron early in the second, and just moments later Dante Fabbro took a slashing penalty, sending the Kings back to the power play. Halfway through, Byfield lost his footing and collided with Jeremy Lauzon as he spun across the ice. Byfield fortunately escaped serious injury, but play was stopped to allow him to get off the ice.
Pierre-Luc Dubois followed a missed shot by dragging Tommy Novak down to the ice, giving the Preds another power play opportunity. O’Reilly had to make a fantastic defensive play to break up a shorthanded chance, and followed that up with a power-play goal not long later, getting the Preds on the board at 7:55.
The Kings pushed back, and in the ensuing scramble in front of the net Ryan McDonagh knocked the net off its moorings trying to get behind Saros to block a shot. Drew Doughty promptly tied it back up during the ensuing power play, tying the game 1-1 at 8:52. That invigorated Nashville, who started their first real pushback of the game. Gustav Nyquist got the goal back at even strength at 13:39, making it 2-1 Preds.
The Preds continued to push through the end of the second period and the start of the third. Jeremy Lauzon took a hooking penalty halfway through the period, but Nashville was able to kill it off. A missed tripping or slew-footing call against Carl Grundstrom, who took Novak down in a scary-looking play, kept the teams at even strength as the period wound down.
The Kings pulled Ritter with a little over two minutes remaining and swarmed the net, leading to a scuffle that drew a whistle. Saros tasked with a lot of work (with some help from Roman Josi) as the six-on-five continued. They made it, and the Preds escaped with a regulation win.