NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The Nashville Predators defeated the Los Angeles Kings in an eight-round shootout on Thursday night, keeping their playoff hopes alive as the NHL season enters its final stretch.
The Predators are tied with the San Jose Sharks for the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference. The Sharks hold the tiebreaker with fewer games played.
Nashville has a 25% chance to make the playoffs and faces a challenging schedule ahead, with their next four games on the road.
“This trip is all teams that we are battling against, competing against for this playoff spot here,” said Filip Forsberg. “To kind of get it started with a win here, that’s huge for us. We got to keep building. These are huge games ahead of us, so the job’s not done yet.”
Steven Stamkos said the team views the road trip as critical to their season.
“One down,” Stamkos said. “We knew this was our season on the line here on this road trip. We got the win and it’s a great start.”
Head coach Andrew Brunette said the team is focused on the moment.
“We’re just happy to be here, and we are enjoying the moment,” Brunette said. “We are growing as a team, we’re enjoying playing meaningful games this time of year. We will just keep being us here down the stretch.”
The Predators travel to San Jose on Saturday to face the Sharks in a game that could determine playoff positioning.
Both the Predators and Sharks have 79 points in their push for the playoffs, leaving them tied with less than ten games remaining. The Predators can pass the Sharks when they visit San Jose on April 4 (9 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network).
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