Gameday Soundtrack: Nashville’s Crying Game

 
Heading into tonight, the Kings and the Nashville Predators have something in common, and that’s losing to the Dallas Stars in their last games.

Overall, the Predators are worse off. The last time that the Predators won was December 14 against the San Jose Sharks. They’re now on a five-game losing streak, facing a rested Kings team on the second night of a back-to-back. As the NHL season nears the halfway point, things are starting to look troublesome for the Predators. They’re 10 points out of a wild card spot. It’s not yet impossible for them to catch up to in the West, but that depends on the Predators figuring out how to stabilize half a season of inconsistent play.

What I imagine it’s like to come up with the Preds’ systems.

If something doesn’t turn around soon, they’ll be seeing a lot of articles about missing the postseason.

Oh, look, they’ve already started.

The Kings, on the other hand, are looking to put a little distance between them and the San Jose Sharks again. After a four-game skid early in December, the Sharks have won enough to tie the Kings in points again. If the Kings hope to maintain the number two spot in the Pacific Division and close the gap between them and the Anaheim Ducks, they need to get right back to winning.

So — sorry, Nashville, it’s not even really about you.

The only aspect of the game that the Predators might have an edge on the Kings with right now is the power play. Nashville’s ranked 8th in the league, and though the Kings’ penalty kill is still ranked 6th, they’ve allowed three goals in their last eight times shorthanded. If the Kings do themselves a disservice and have another game where they take at least four penalties, Nashville could take advantage.

Other than that, the Kings are the better defensive and offensive team at this point in the season. Though both teams are without their starting goaltenders, Martin Jones and Ben Scrivens have put up better numbers than Nashville’s Carter Hutton and Marek Mazanec. Even if the Predators score first, the Kings have a win percentage that shows they’re more likely to pull it out than the Predators might if the Kings score first. This should be LA’s opportunity to bounce back from the frustration of Monday night’s game against Dallas, unless they’re feeling masochistic.