Fisher scores 2 in 3rd as Predators top Kings
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Some in the sellout crowd at the Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night might have wondered if Mike Fisher's tie-breaking goal would withstand a replay review.
The Nashville Predators' center wasn't one of them.
"No doubt at all," he said. "When I went behind the net, you could see the puck was in."
With the help of a quirky carom off Los Angeles Kings goaltender Ben Scrivens, Fisher potted the winning goal at 19:33 of the third period as the Predators snapped their second five-game losing streak in a month with a dramatic 3-2 win.
Ten seconds after Los Angeles' forward Jeff Carter snapped a one-timer past goalie Marek Mazanec with an extra attacker on ice, Fisher took a centering pass from center Colin Wilson. Fisher's wrist shot appeared to hit off the heel of Scrivens' glove and trickle across the goal line just before the goalie pulled it back.
Replay confirmation of the goal, Fisher's second in less than three minutes and ninth of the season, giving Nashville (17-18-4) just its fourth win in 14 games. The Kings (25-10-4) lost for the second straight time.
"I might finally get a good night's sleep," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "When you lose as a coach, you have a hard time sleeping."
Fisher's first goal was the result of a bad line change by Los Angeles as it tried to kill center Tyler Toffoli's holding call. Fisher gathered in the puck in the neutral zone and skated unobstructed to just above the right faceoff circle, where he slapped the puck past the stick side of Scrivens at 16:42.
"Our defense was very average tonight," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said.
Nashville's defense was below-average during its latest losing skid, allowing 21 goals in losses to Chicago, Tampa Bay, Montreal, Boston and Dallas. But the Predators were a markedly different team despite playing the back end of a back-to-back against an opponent which had four days of rest.
Mazanec (6-8-1) made 26 saves for his first win since a 4-0 shutout at Columbus on Nov. 27. His teammates offered their best 60-minute effort since their last win, a 3-2 decision Dec. 14 over San Jose, taking just two minor penalties and not giving up as many quality scoring chances.
Nashville scored the first goal for the first time since that victory over the Sharks. Right winger Patric Hornqvist corraled the rebound of Fisher's shot and swatted a backhander past Scrivens at 14:42 of the first period for his eighth goal.
"Having the lead was just a different feeling," Trotz said. "We felt more relaxed on the bench. We had a bit more wiggle room than lately. When you're down a goal or two or three, there's no wiggle room. It's constant pressure."
Center Anze Kopitar drew Los Angeles even at 7:05 of the second period by whipping a 30-foot wrist shot over the right (glove) hand of Mazanec. Kopitar's 12th goal came 53 seconds after Predators center Paul Gaustad was sent off for tripping defenseman Slava Voynov.
That was all the scoring until the crazy last three minutes, when Nashville thought it had won, then had to gather itself after the Kings pulled even.
"We needed this win for sure," Fisher said. "To get a win like this and get our confidence up a bit is definitely something we can build on. It was an exciting way to win."
Scrivens (7-4-4) registered 28 saves for Los Angeles.
NOTES: Nashville D Shea Weber logged a regular-season career high of 32:23 ice time in Friday night's 4-1 loss in Dallas. Weber's previous high was 31:43, set Oct. 24 in an overtime win over Winnipeg. ... Los Angeles D Willie Mitchell and LW Dustin Brown dressed and started despite suffering from illness. ... The game matched the top two teams in the league in terms of faceoff win percentage. The Kings are first at 54.3 percent and the Predators are at 54.0. ... Los Angeles G Martin Jones got the night off after taking his first loss on Monday night against Dallas. Jones had won his first eight starts to tie a league record for consecutive wins to open a career.
