Saros, Predators clamp down on Kings for crucial 4-1 win

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Colton Sissons had a goal and two assists and Juuse Saros made 27 saves, helping the Nashville Predators beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 on Thursday night.

Nashville has won three in a row for the first time since a four-game streak Dec. 10-16. Jeremy Lauzon had a goal and an assist for the Predators, and Mark Jankowski and Yakov Trenin also scored.

Kevin Fiala scored for the Kings, who had won four in a row. David Rittich made 17 stops in the team's second loss in seven games under interim coach Jim Hiller.

Jankowski lifted Nashville to a 2-1 lead with 5:14 left in the second period, tapping home his second goal of the season after Rittich lost sight of Luke Evangelista’s low-angle shot at his feet.

Sissons added an empty-netter with 3 minutes to play and Lauzon got another with 53 seconds to go, ensuring the Predators picked up two more crucial points in their push for a Western Conference wild card.

It was a give and take first period for Trenin, who opened the scoring at 8:47 with his ninth goal of the season. He also sparked the home team by giving the Kings a two-man advantage in the closing minutes when he was called for tripping on the penalty kill.

Los Angeles promptly cashed in, with Fiala burying a wrist shot from the slot to tie it at 1 with 53 seconds remaining. Fiala scored for the second straight game, giving him 15 on the season, and it also represented his 400th career point.

The Kings had movement in and out of their forward lines, with center Blake Lizotte returning from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for 14 games and forward Viktor Arvidsson out because of a lower-body injury after he got hurt during a win against Columbus on Tuesday.

Arvidsson was placed on injured reserve, but Hiller did not have an update on how long he might be out. Arvidsson, who missed the first 50 games of the season because of a back injury, had two assists in four games before he was sidelined again.

UP NEXT

Predators: Visit the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.

Kings: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL