Kings Steal the Wild-Card Spot in Shootout Thriller, Leave Nashville Furious

The Los Angeles Kings just took back the second Western Conference wild-card spot with a gutsy 3-2 shootout win over the Nashville Predators on Monday night, and it came down to exactly one goal when it mattered most. Adrian Kempe buried the only shootout attempt while Anton Forsberg shut the door on Nashville's chances, giving LA a point streak that now stretches to four games (3-0-1). The Kings are now sitting at 32-26-19 with 83 points, just one point ahead of the Predators for that crucial playoff position.

A Shootout That Swung Everything

Joel Armia and Scott Laughton scored in regulation for the Kings, but the real drama came in overtime. Kempe's lone shootout goal was all LA needed after Forsberg made 29 saves and didn't give up a single goal in the shootout. For Nashville, Roman Josi notched a goal and an assist while Steven Stamkos also scored, but Juuse Saros and the Predators couldn't find the back of the net when it mattered most. Saros made 26 saves, but it wasn't enough.

Wild-Card Chaos Is Real

Here's the thing that makes this moment intense: the Kings and Predators each have five games left to play, and they're separated by just one point. Behind them, the San Jose Sharks are one point back, and the Winnipeg Jets are two points out. This is a three-team race for one spot, and Monday's shootout loss could haunt Nashville down the stretch. The Predators had been the ones on the rise, moving into the wild-card spot with a 5-4 shootout win in Los Angeles on Thursday and staying there after a 6-3 win at San Jose on Saturday. Now they have to regroup.

How the Kings Made It Happen

LA's first goal came early when Jared Wright's pass deflected and somehow found Joel Armia at the left faceoff circle for the tap-in at 5:36 of the first. Nashville answered on a 5-on-3 power play early in the second when Ryan O'Reilly threaded Steven Stamkos for a one-timer to tie it 1-1. But Wright brought the speed down the right wall moments later, centering for Scott Laughton's go-ahead goal at 13:57. The Predators tied it back up at 4:18 of the third when Roman Josi found a loose rebound and shot it under Forsberg's pad from the left circle. Then the shootout happened, and the Kings took their spot back.

Five games left. One point separating LA and Nashville. The wild-card race just got a whole lot tighter.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.