Predators 3, Kings 0
NASHVILE, Tenn. -- Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne stopped 32 all shots he faced, as the Predators celebrated a long-awaited return home by defeating the Los Angeles Kings by a 3-0 score at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday evening.
The Predators had just 14 shots, but they made the most of those chances. Center Colin Wilson scored a pair of second-period goals for the Predators (5-2-3), who were playing at home for the first time since Jan. 21.
It's the first time that the defending Stanley Cup champion Kings, who fell to Nashville at home last week, have been shut out this season.
Nashville struck first at 2:54 of the first period, when David Legwand, operating along the boards behind the net, flipped a pass to a wide-open Gabriel Bourque, who in turn slapped it into the net.
The Predators frittered away some good scoring chances throughout the remainder of the period, including the stanza's only power play, but extended the lead at 7:01 of the second period. Kevin Kline threaded the needle through traffic with a pass to Wilson, who fired the puck between Kings' goalie Jonathan Quick and the left post to give Nashville a 2-0 margin.
It didn't take Wilson long to do more damage. Five seconds into a power play, he picked up a rebound off Shea Weber's miss and found the net again at 13:02 of the second period.
The Predators are making a habit of getting outshot, as they had been eight times in nine games coming in. Even though they were out-shot again tonight, it was the quality of the look that mattered; while the Predators got great looks, most of Rinne's saves were routine.
NOTES: Thursday's home game was the first for the Predators since game No. 2 of the season, which was on Jan. 21. The seven consecutive games on the road tied a franchise record. Nashville went 4-2-1 during that span, which gives it the third-best road record in the NHL. ... Thursday's scratches were Brad Richardson, Dustin Penner and Andrew Campbell for the Kings, and Brian McGrattan and Matt Halischuck for Nashville. It's the fifth time that Penner has been scratched in five games; he saw 11:48 of ice time in the Kings' last game, a 7-4 loss to Anaheim. ... Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne made his seventh-straight start over a span of 12 days. ... The Predators' Paul Gaustad played in his 500th NHL game on Thursday.
