The Los Angeles Kings (3-3-3) fell to the Nashville Predators (4-3-2), 5-4, during a marathon shootout that was finally ended in the ninth round by a goal from winger Ozzy Wiesblatt and a save from goaltender Juuse Saros.

This was the Kings’ fourth straight game that went to at least overtime, going 2-2 over the stretch, but they still gained six points early in the season. 

With just about 12 minutes left to play in the opening frame, winger Adrian Kempe scored his fifth goal of the season. Defenseman Brandt Clarke walked down the middle of the slot, drawing a Nashville player before Clarke fed Kempe at the left hash to make the score 1-0. 

Only a minute later, the Predators tied it up after defenseman Spencer Stastney took a shot from the point that snuck through King goaltender Darcy Kuemper. The puck dribbled through the blue paint before center Ryan O’Reilly tapped it in to tie the game at one. 

Despite numerous chances for both squads, including a power play opportunity for the Predators, the two teams would head into the locker room for the first intermission tied at one.

It did not take long, though, for Nashville to go up 2-1 during the second period. Only 30 seconds in, winger Matthew Wood fed winger Filip Forsberg in a two-on-one scenario. Forsberg slammed it home on the back post for his third goal this year.

A minute later, though, Los Angeles winger Joel Armia scored his first goal as a King to tie the game up. After a cycle pass from center Alex Turcotte, Armia drove behind the net and threw a pass in front, which banked off a Nashville defender and into the goal to make the score 2-2. 

Shortly after, the Kings would score once more to push the score 3-2 in their favor after a goal from winger Corey Perry — his second goal of the season and the second goal in the same number of games. On a two-on-one, Armia drove down the left side and pushed a pass across to Perry, who tapped it in with just under 15 minutes left on the second-period clock. 

Nashville winger Cole Smith kept his team in it, responding two minutes later after he took it straight down the middle of the ice from the red line, past multiple L.A. defenders, before knocking it past Kuemper to tie the game 3-3.

The Kings had numerous great chances at the end of the period, but were denied by Saros, who finished the game with 36 saves. 

With 10 minutes left in the third period, the Kings had all the momentum and capitalized to make it 4-3. After an initial Clarke shot was blockered down by Saros, winger Trevor Moore found a rebound at the left circle and ripped it in to give the Kings the lead once more. 

The Predators responded with five minutes left on a fading third-period clock to tie the game and send it to overtime. Forsberg drove from the far corner toward the net before passing to O’Reilly in the middle, hitting a one-timer past Kuemper to tie the game 4-4. 

Neither team converted in overtime, which meant it went to a shootout.

To start, the first three all found the back of the net: O’Reilly for the Predators, Kempe for the Kings and then Forsberg for Nashville. The next two shooters were both stuffed before Moore tied the shootout 2-2 at the end of the third round for the Kings. In the next three rounds, all shooters were silenced by the opposing keeper, before center Erik Haula and winger Kevin Fiala both converted for their team in the seventh round. In the eighth round, both shooters were stopped again, but Wiesblatt found the back of the net on a wrist shot in the top of the ninth round. Armia was the final shooter for Los Angeles, who got denied in the bottom of the ninth after trying to go low blocker on Saros. 

The Kings — who have had six of their nine games this season go to an extra period —  push past the halfway point of their five-game road trip and will play the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, October 26 at 4 p.m.Â