close
close

Le-verdict

News with a Local Lens

Preds shut out by Kings to conclude Homestand
minsta

Preds shut out by Kings to conclude Homestand

The Nashville Predators failed to find the back of the net on Monday as they lost to the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 3-0 in the final at Bridgestone Arena.

The result sees the Preds finish their three-game homestand with just one win, and Monday’s game saw them record just 16 shots on goal, an effort that disappointed the home side.

“We’ve been feeling (the frustration) for a while, and we just can’t seem to fix it and get over it,” Preds head coach Andrew Brunette said. “I think I’ve talked enough here over the last few weeks about how (frustration) is a dangerous emotion. It brings out the best in us and unfortunately it has affected almost the entire team. And frustration plays tricks on you. Frustration makes you believe that you are actually working when you are not. Frustration makes you a bad teammate. Frustration is contagious, so these are pretty bad things, and it’s spreading through our group right now.

“It looks like we’re a little flat,” Preds defenseman Luke Schenn said. “We obviously didn’t generate anything really offensive. (In) my opinion, nice perimeter. We talked about it, and you’re not going to score goals unless you go inside… It seemed like sometimes there wasn’t much going either way. But no matter what the other team does… It’s just not good enough.

Kings captain Anze Kopitar gave his club a 1-0 lead in the first period when he fired a shot from Juuse Saros and into the cage, and that score held until the former Preds forward Kevin Fiala converts on a rebound just 35 seconds into the final. frame.

Los Angeles added one more into an empty net before the night ended as Nashville struggled to find quality chances throughout the game.

“Our overall competition and the support, I don’t think, was great there,” Preds assistant captain Ryan O’Reilly said. “Sometimes we had some looks, but it just wasn’t consistent enough. I think there are too many one-and-dones… We have to make games. You have to be connected…to play, to win a battle at the net. And I didn’t do any of that tonight, and I don’t think as a group we did enough.

Now, the Predators will embark on a back-to-back away game that begins Wednesday in Washington. This marks the start of a stretch that will see the Preds play seven of their next eight games on the road, and for a team that has essentially had the same environment for the first month of the season, they’re hoping for a change of scenery could do some good. for the group.

“I think we need to get out of town and figure this out, because it’s very frustrating right now,” O’Reilly said. “On the road, I think it’s a little easier. You can show up and just play, and I think that’s what we need to do. I think it’s a little easier on the road. (We) tend to play a simpler game, and that’s what we need.

“For the whole group, we’ve been here a long time with training camp, and a lot of guys with kids are here until August, so I think it’s stagnating a little bit,” Brunette said. “I think it’ll be good for us to go out and try to find our game. (We’ve) said that probably for 12 games (about finding our game). We’re probably not really close, so we’re going to have to find a way to make it happen.

Remarks :

Nashville’s lineup remained unchanged from Saturday’s game; forwards Philip Tomasino and Michael McCarron, as well as defender Dante Fabbro, were scratched.

Preds defenseman Jeremy Lauzon played his 300th career NHL game.

Nashville will now hit the road for a back-to-back set starting Wednesday night in Washington against the Capitals before ending Thursday in Florida against the Panthers.