US Edition
Predators Give up Big Lead, Then Edge Kings in Shootout
Luke Evangelista scored the only shootout goal after 15 misses, and Juuse Saros stopped every attempt as Nashville tightened the Western Conference playoff race.
- On Thursday, April 2, 2026, Luke Evangelista scored the only goal in an eight-round shootout, lifting the Nashville Predators to a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings and moving Nashville back into the final wild-card spot.
- Despite trailing by three goals twice during the second period, the Kings rallied to force overtime, though the comeback fell short as Los Angeles dropped a record 19th game this season that extended beyond 60 minutes.
- Adrian Kempe scored twice for Los Angeles, while Predators goaltender Juuse Saros stopped 29 saves and Evangelista's bobble allowed him to lift the puck off his backhand to decide the match.
- With two weeks remaining in the regular season, Nashville, the Kings, and the San Jose Sharks are tied with 79 points for the second wild-card spot; the Kings lack the tiebreaker against both competitors.
- Before the game, Los Angeles honored retiring captain Anze Kopitar for his 20-year career, with the Kings hosting Toronto on Saturday and the Predators traveling to San Jose for a Saturday night matchup.
29 Articles
29 Articles
The Los Angeles Kings, led by Slovenian ace Anže Kopitar, hosted the Nashville Predators in the NHL playoffs. The home team started the game poorly, trailing 1:4, when they managed to tie the game in the 50th minute of overtime for the 30th time in the season. The overtime ended goalless, and Luke Evangelista won the game in favor of the visitors in penalty kicks.
Associated Press News
Luke Evangelista ends shootout in 8th round, Predators tighten playoff race with 5-4 win over Kings
Luke Evangelista scored the only goal of the shootout in the eighth round, and the Nashville Predators tightened the Western Conference playoff race with a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
LA Daily News
OC RegisterKings erase 3-goal deficit before falling to Predators in shootout
The Kings score three straight to send the game to OT, but Luke Evangelista scores the lone goal in an eight-round shootout as Nashville earns a 5-4 win that puts the Kings back on the wrong side of the ever-shuffling postseason bubble.
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