Predators shut out Kings for fifth straight win

The Nashville Predators beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-0 on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, their fifth straight win. Read more: Predators shut out Kings for fifth straight win

Filip Forsberg scored twice. Juuse Saros stopped all 30 shots he faced, and Adam Wilsby added an empty-net goal in the third period to seal it.

Forsberg opened the scoring at 5:20 of the first period on a snap shot, converting a feed from Nils Hoglander, who had jumped on a Brian Dumoulin turnover at the Kings' blue line. He struck again at 10:32 of the second period, redirecting a Hoglander pass off the boards. Brady Skjei also assisted.

Wilsby's goal at 17:43 of the third was his third career NHL goal and his first since Dec. 20. It came off a clearing attempt that bounced off the boards right to him for the empty-netter.

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Saros carries a clean sheet

Saros's shutout was the 28th of his career and his first this season, and it did not come easy. He made 13 of his 30 saves in the third period alone. Los Angeles pushed hard to avoid being blanked. Anton Forsberg kept the Kings in it for two periods, stopping 27 of 29 shots. The empty-netter then made it academic.

Shots finished even at 30-30, closer than the final score suggests. What decided it was special teams and discipline in the right moments. Nashville went 0-for-4 on the power play and Los Angeles 0-for-2, so neither power play decided the game. Faceoffs were close too, with the Kings winning 31 to Nashville's 29.

Los Angeles outhit Nashville 26-9, nearly a 3-to-1 margin, and still lost by three goals. The Predators also took 19 penalty minutes to the Kings' 13. A crowd of 15,008 watched Los Angeles get shut out for the first time this season. The Kings are 2-3-0 on their current seven-game homestand and have lost two straight.

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Mats Zuccarello returned to the Kings' lineup after missing six games with an injury. But it was not enough to generate offense against Saros. Rob Blake was in the building as his old team was shut out. He's the Predators' executive vice president of hockey operations and a former Kings general manager.

The win opened a five-game Western swing for Nashville that continues Wednesday night at Anaheim. Los Angeles hosts the New York Islanders on Thursday looking to snap its skid.